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Published on April 11, 2024 05:55

March 16, 2024

You're Not Alone: Common Writer Fears and How to Overcome Them

I’m teaching a Novel Writing course at mycollege this semester. (I usually teach it once or twice a year.) For a midtermexercise, I asked the students to write about how drafting and getting feedbackon their first chapter went. One of the students wrote that he was reluctant tooffer any feedback that a writer might take as negative because he feared whatthey might say about his draft in order to get back at him.

Soundsilly? It wasn’t to him. And this fear kept him from giving his best feedback,and it prevented him from gaining whatever insights into writing he might’ve gleanedfrom giving that feedback. In other words, his fear held him back. It preventedhim from growing – and helping someone else grow.

Ofcourse, this student is young, and this is likely his first time givingfeedback on someone’s work. A more experienced writer would be long past havingsuch basic doubts, right?

Nope.

WheneverI’m asked what’s the most important quality writers need, I always give the sameanswer: psychological resilience. The fears, doubts, and worries never go away.But if you’re lucky, you get better at dealing with them. And the first step inthat process is understanding that these fears are absolutely normal. Allwriters experience them to one degree or another. And the second step? Acknowledgingthese fears, understanding them, and learning ways to live with them.

Solet’s talk about some scary stuff.

Fears Before Writing

· I’m not goodenough to be a writer. Wherever you’re at in your career, good enoughis always just out of reach. It’s an ever-moving goalpost. You are where youare as a writer today, and if you keep working, you’ll be a bit bettertomorrow. That’s the closest thing to a guarantee you can get as a writer. Improvement,no matter how great or small, is the goal.

· I can’t be a REALwriter if I don’t have a writing degree. Bullshit. The only things you needto do in order to be a writer is to read a lot and write a lot, get feedback onyour work, and never stop trying to improve. Writing programs can be verybeneficial for some, but they aren’t necessary. If you’re therebasically to purchase an identity as a writer, you’re there for the wrongreason. If you’re there to experience structured, guided growth as a writer andto be part of a community of like-minded writers, then you’re good. But adegree still isn’t necessary. Most writers I know don’t have writing degrees,and I know plenty of people with writing degrees who don’t write.

· I need to be in awriters’ group to be a writer. Again, you don’t need this. But youdo need to be cautious. It’s too easy to allow the group to become a creativeend in and of itself, and you end up giving and getting feedback on work thatno one ever attempts to publish. But if you find a group that supports oneanother and helps each other grow and work toward their writing goals, you’regolden.

· I’m too young/tooold to be a writer. Allthat any of us have is today. Start writing or don’t. Your age has nothing todo with it. Besides, you won’t stay young for long, and you’ll be one more dayolder whether you write or not.

· My life is smalland boring, and I don’t have enough material to draw on to be a writer. You have alifetime of experience up to this point, and you add to it every second youlive – especially if you remain open to the world around you. Work with whatyou have today and make the most of it. Do the same tomorrow. And the next day.

· It’s selfish of meto devote so much time to writing. That’s one way to look at it. But thereality is, if you don’t take time to write – see if you can follow me here –you won’t get any writing done. A difficult concept to grasp, I know. There’s areason why a lot of creative people don’t have kids and why they prefer to haverelationships with other creatives who understand their need to write. Writing isn’tselfish. It’s self-fulfillment. By working toward growth, you’ll be abetter partner, parent, friend, coworker, etc. Balance is needed, though. Whenmy first daughter was born, my writing output slowed to a crawl. I knew itwould, and I knew that it was temporary. I learned to get up early to write, towrite during kids’ naptimes, to write in bits and snatches throughout the day,to write after they’d gone to bed for the night. I made myself do it even whenI was tired, and I made time by not watching so much fucking TV. I also stoppedreading novels for a while and primarily read short stories. I wasn’t willingto take time away from my daughters, so I made sacrifices elsewhere. I alsolearned that things don’t need to be perfect; they just need to be good enough.My great-grandmother used to say, “Your house will still be there when yourkids are grown.” Worry about how often you dust, do laundry, or mow the lawnthen.

· I don’t know whatI’m doing, so I need to learn much more about writing, then I’ll be skilled andknowledgeable enough to start. Thinking you need a writing degree fitshere too, but I’m talking about going to writing conferences, readinghow-to-write books, watching instructional videos on YouTube, reading fantasticauthor blogs like this one, following authors, agents, and editors on socialmedia, hanging on their every word. I’ve known too many people who never believedthey knew enough to start, and guess what? They never started. Start with theknowledge and skill you currently possess, write, and keep learning, but don’t allowlearning to eat up all your time and become an excuse for not writing.

· What if this piecedoesn’t turn out the way I imagine? It never does. It might be better, itmight be worse, but it’ll most likely just be different. Send it out to aneditor and write something else.

· Everything I writeis crap. Ifeel this way all the time about everything I write, including this blog entry.I let myself feel it, and I keep writing anyway. Even if what you write is crap,you’ve still created something that’s never existed before. You still learned somethingfrom writing the piece. You still grew as an artist. When I was first startingout, old pros used to say, “The first million words are practice.” I found thisvery comforting because it meant it was normal to spend time learning, it wasnormal that not everything I wrote would be successful as a piece of writing,but it would be successful as a learning experience. The old saying is “Giveyourself permission to write crap.” I think a better way to think of it is “Giveyourself permission to practice.” And I bet that eventually, some of yourpractice will result in publishable work.

· No one will everread what I write. Maybenot. And even if they do, few people (relatively speaking) read for pleasure. Fewerstill read fiction, and fewer still read the kind of weird-ass horror I like towrite. I write for myself first (even when I write media tie-in fiction becauseit’s fun to write) and then I write for the people who would like to read thestuff I write, whoever they are and however many of them there are.

Fears During Writing

· Am I starting mystory at the wrong place? Maybe. But you won’t know until your write your storyand see what you think of the completed piece when you read it over. And thereare hundreds, maybe thousands, of different ways to begin your story. You onlyneed one that works, and there is no one right choice. So pick one and startwriting.

· What if I getwriter’s block? Somewriters don’t believe writers’ block exists, some do. I believe it can beseveral different things: You’re afraid of failing, you’re tired, you’re nothealthy, you’re currently dealing with emotional stressors, you’ve been writingso much for so long that you’re burned out. Identifying the reason you’refeeling blocked will help you fix it. Tired? Get some damn sleep. Hungry? Goeat. Burnt out? Take a vacation or maybe work on a different project, one that’sjust for fun.

· How will I keeptrack of all these characters, plot points, settings, etc.? Experiment withdifferent organizing techniques. There are a zillion of them in how-to books andvideos. Try writing software (but not fucking AI). Keep experimenting until youfind something that works for your current project. And if the technique you founddoesn’t work next time, search for a new one. Plus, if you’re a newer writer,maybe write simpler stories – fewer characters, fewer plot points, fewersettings – to make them more manageable. It’s like learning to juggle. Firstyou learn how to throw one ball correctly, then two, then three, and so on. Buildingbasic skills allows you to add more elements to your work over time.

· My vocabularyisn’t strong enough for me to be a writer. Use the words you know now, and usenew ones you acquire as you move through life if they feel natural and right toyou. Keep reading. Besides, there are millions of words in the English language.Even a gigantic doorstop of a novel can only ever use a fraction of them.

· I’ll never masterall the skills of fiction writing. Correct, you will not. And what the hell kindof fun would it be if you did? The goal is to keep learning, improving, andgrowing. That only has to stop when you die. (And who knows? Maybe not eventhen.)

· What if I’mwriting the wrong kind of story? There is no wrong kind. There is no rightkind. Write whatever the hell you want at any given moment. Explore. The moretypes of stories you try, the greater the chance you’ll come across a kind youlove and are really good at. When I started writing, I wanted to write lightfantasy novels like Piers Anthony. (If you squint really hard when you readsome of my books, you’ll see his influence.) But I tried all kinds of thingsuntil I found editors and readers responding most strongly to my horror and mytie-in fiction. And lately, to my nonfiction.

· What if I’morganizing the material wrong? Just write the damn story. You can alwaysrearrange things later. Plus, just like I said about beginnings earlier, thereare lots and lots and lots of ways to organize your story, and many of themwill work just fine. Just start making choices.

· Do I need to getfeedback every step of the way to make sure I’m doing this right? I think this is a terrible idea. You’ll continually second guess yourselfand may end up blocked because you’re afraid to make any choices at all. Gettingfeedback on a finished, developed draft is fine. Getting feedback on an initialidea or an outline is fine. But you don’t want feedback to end up becoming acrutch that stunts your growth as a writer and makes it hard to completestories.

Fears After Writing

· What if it reallyisn’t any good? Thenit won’t sell and you’ll write something else. Maybe you’ll recycle some of theconcepts or text for another story someday. Maybe it is good, and youjust need to keep sending it around until someone sees how good it really is. Neverpin all your hopes on one piece of writing anyway. You can always write more.

· What if peopledon’t like it? Fuck‘em. Try to find readers who will like it, and go write something else in themeantime.

· What if no onereads it? Itsucks when no one comments on your work or you get little to no reviews onAmazon or Goodreads. Do like Chumbawumba says – Get back up. Write somethingelse. (Are you starting to see a pattern here?)

· What if no onecares? What’smost important is that you care – about your work, about growing as anartist, about making contact with readers (however many you get). And the oddsare someone will care, maybe someone you’ll never know about. But the greatthing about social media is that you sometimes get to see someone say somethingnice about your work. One positive comment can be like a drink of cold water tosomeone traveling in a desert. It’s enough to keep you going for a little whilelonger.

· What if I won’t beable to write again? Youwill. If you did it once, you can do it again – and probably better next time.

· What if I cannever write anything this good again? Good is a meaninglessterm. Check out the Amazon reviews of a book you love. Some people love it,some hate it, some are indifferent to it. Same book. Different readers. Try notto compare your current work to your previous work. Write today’s work.

Writing Career Fears

· What if my workgets rejected? Itwill. I got two short story rejections this week. You might apply to get a tablein the dealer’s room at a convention and not be accepted. You might propose aworkshop at a convention and be turned down. Setbacks of varying kinds arenormal in an artist’s life. Take the hit, take some time to recover ifnecessary (but not too much), and get back to work. The more rejections you getearly in your career, the better, because you can get used to them, and they’lllose their power over you. They still suck, though. (Any editors out there wantto buy two weird horror stories?)

· What if tradpublishing/indie publishing is the wrong way to go? I’ve said itbefore, there is no right or wrong choice in writing; there’s only what you tryat any given time. Try it all and see what works for you, what you like, whatyou have the most success with (however you define success).

· I’ll never find apublisher/agent. Notwith that attitude you won’t! But seriously, there are so many optionsavailable for writers to get their work to readers that you don’t need apublisher or agent. And if you want to find one, do other things while you’relooking. Write short pieces, start another book, start a YouTube or TikTokchannel . . . Don’t wait around for anything. Use the time.

· I won’t be able tonegotiate contracts. Youcan learn. There are so many resources available on the internet, and you canreach out to more experienced writers for help. Short story and articlecontracts are fairly easy to deal with. Book contracts, not so much, but like Isaid, you can learn. I know many writers who handle all their contracts. I handlemy contracts for short stuff, and I rely on my agent to deal with bookcontracts.

· I’ll get rippedoff by scam editors/agents/reviewers. It could happen, so you need to educateyourself on how to recognize scammers. This is a great place to start: https://www.sfwa.org/other-resources/for-authors/writer-beware/

· What if I getterrible reviews? Alot of writers don’t read reviews because they don’t want to be influenced bythem, whether they’re positive or negative. The truth is, if enough people readand review your work, some will dislike it. Science Fiction writer Mike Resnickused to say, “I never argue with people’s opinions of my work.” I think that’sone of the healthiest attitudes you can have. A review is an opinion, not fact.I read all the reviews of my work that I can find because I can learn fromthem. But some are easier to take than others. If you’re afraid of seeingterrible reviews, don’t look at any. If you just have to read yourreviews, start developing a tougher skin as fast as you can. If you want towrite, don’t let anything stop you, especially bad reviews.

· What if I get noreviews? Thisis one of the worst things than can happen to an author. Indifference is farworse than hate. If people hate your work, they’ve at least engaged with it,and they’ve reacted to it. Offer free copies – print, electronic, or both – forhonest reviews. (And don’t get upset if the reviews aren’t five-stars all thetime.)

· I’ll never havethe time to effectively self-promote. This is probably true. Partially because,no one knows what effective means when it comes to promotion. It’s difficultto correlate a promotional effort with sales data. Your Facebook or Amazon admight or might not have caused the small spike you see in your sales. There’sno way to ever know for sure. Remember that you’re a writer, not a promoter. Promoteas much as you can without eating too much into your writing time. And dowhatever kind and amount of promotion you’re comfortable with. The bestpromotion for your writing is your writing, and the more writing you do, themore each piece promotes the others.

· What if my salesare low – or nonexistent? I feel your pain, my friend. And here I’m going to soundlike a broken record, but write something else. Try a different genre if youlike, just keep writing.

· What if my authorpersona is a dud? Fuckpersonas. Just be yourself (or at least the best version of yourself). Apersona of one kind or another will develop naturally over time anyway.

· What if otherauthors don’t see me as a colleague? What if they think I’m a joke? Writers are, ingeneral, very welcoming to newcomers. Some of the biggest names might be alittle standoffish at first because they’re so accustomed to people trying touse them instead of getting to know them as people. But many will warm up toyou given some time. And if someone does treat you poorly, fuck ‘em. Don’t let anyoneelse define you. Don’t give them that power. Only you get to define you.

· What if no oneshows up to my signing/reading/workshop? This will happen to you. It’shappened to me and will likely happen again. This is a situation where you haveto feel like shit for a while, and then move on.

· I’ll never win anaward for my writing. Maybe you will, maybe you won’t. You have no controlover this, so do your best not to worry about it. Awards are nice – they’reacknowledgements from your peers that you’re doing good work – and you can usethem as marketing tools. But there are all kinds of “awards” that are lesstangible and far more valuable. I attended the Ohioana Book Festival as anauthor one year, and a young woman came up to my table and asked if I was theTim Waggoner who wrote a young adult fantasy tie-in novel called Temple ofthe Dragonslayer. I said I was, and she told me that was the book that madeher want to be a writer. No award, however nice it may be to get one, couldever come close to a moment like that. If you write for any length of time, you’llget similar “awards” too.

· I’ll never be ableto support myself – let alone a family – with my writing. Odds are this willbe true for you. It’s always been hard as hell for most artists to make a goodliving in this world. A lot of writers who say they’re full-time writers have spouseswho make good money (and provide health insurance for the family). Theyprobably also live very simply in a place where the cost of living is low, andthey live alone (or with a roommate) so they can get by on not a lot of money,and even then, things can be tough for them. There’s a great chance they doother types of writing – nonfiction, freelance business writing, technicalwriting – that pays better than fiction, or they do freelance editing, or theymight teach (like I do). I teach writing, and according to the Ohio ArtsCouncil, anyone who produces art or teaches an art is considered an artist. Ithink most people wouldn’t count teaching an art as equivalent to producingart, though. At any rate, my goal when I started out was to live a creative life,and I have, and I’ve supported myself and my family with the money I’ve made (moreas a writing teacher than a writer), so I’ve succeeded in my goal. I still sometimesfeel like I’m not a “real” writing since producing writing is not my solesource of income. Maybe I probably always will.

Strategies for Dealing with Your Writing Fears

· Write, write,write, and write some more. Writing is the antidote for almost allwriting fears. It’s like if Dory in Finding Nemo was an author. “Justkeep writing, writing, writing . . .”

· Learn to functionwith fear. Yourwriting fears may never go away completely. Mine haven’t. So you need to learnto get on with your work despite the fears. The more you write, the better youget at functioning with fear.

· Make choices. Much of our writingfear comes from being afraid to make a wrong choice. But if you make choicesand keep making choices, even if they aren’t always successful, fear will loseits hold on you.

· Build a supportnetwork of fellow writers. One of the best ways to fight fear is to have companywhile you do it, people who understand what you’re going through because theygo through it too. Not only can you get emotional and professional support fromyour network, you can also learn others’ strategies for dealing with writerfears.

· Accept where youare now and keep working toward tomorrow. Don’t be in a rush. You can only dotoday’s work today, and you can only grow so much in a day. Where you’re atright now is okay, and where you’ll be at tomorrow is okay too.

· Understand it’s amarathon, not a sprint. Learning a craft, getting good at it, and learning theins and outs of the publishing business takes time. A lifetime, really. Thesooner you understand this, the less power fear will have over you.

· Envy is the writer’s disease. Don’t compareyourself to other writers. Don’t eat yourself up because you can’t write likethey do, you haven’t won their awards, haven’t published as much, don’t haveall their fans or their money. Run your race, not someone else’s.

· Remember the DarkVoices lie. Once,I was trying to write while I was exhausted. For some reason I don’t remember,I didn’t sleep well the night before. I nodded off in front of my computer, andI had a quick mini-dream where a voice said to me, “Your words are small words.”I started awake and said, “No, my words are big words.” The Dark Voices willalways speak to us, sometimes more often than others. We can’t help but hearthem, but always remember – those voices lie. Don’t believe them.

Resources That Might Help You Work ThroughYour Fears

· Eric Maisel has written a number of wonderful books tohelp creative people deal with the emotional difficulties that come with beingan artist: www.ericmaisel.com

· The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association’s WriterBeware Blogis the place to learn about writing scams: https://www.sfwa.org/other-resources/for-authors/writer-beware/

· The SFWA Information Center has all kinds of greatresources – sample manuscript formats, sample book contracts, etc. If you’renot sure how to do something writing or publishing-related, this is a great placeto go: https://www.sfwa.org/other-resources/for-authors/information-center/

· Jonathan Maberry’s Free Stuff for Writers. Jonathan offersa ton of examples he’s written, from outlines and synopses to comic book scriptsand more: https://www.jonathanmaberry.com/freestuffforwriters.cfm

· Jane Friedman’s Blog. Jane is theauthority on up-to-the-minute information on writing and publishing: https://janefriedman.com/blog/

DEPARTMENT OF SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION

It’srare, but April is one of those months when I’ll have two novels coming out atthe same time from different publishers: Lord of the Feast and TheAtrocity Engine.

Bothbooks deal with the same mythos and share settings that I’ve used in a numberof my novels, but Lord of the Feast is a horror novel and TheAtrocity Engine is a dark fantasy adventure. You can enjoy each novel onits own terms, but it might be interesting to read both and see how I presentmy mythos in different ways.

Lordof the Feast

This novel is due out from Flame TreePress on April 16th, 2024.

Synopsis:

Twenty years ago, a cult attempted tocreate their own god: The Lord of the Feast. The god was a horrible,misbegotten thing, however, and the cultists killed the creature before itcould come into its full power. The cultists trapped the pieces of their godinside mystic nightstones then went their separate ways. Now Kate, one of thecultists’ children, seeks out her long-lost relatives, hoping to learn thetruth of what really happened on that fateful night. Unknown to Kate, hercousin Ethan is following her, hoping she’ll lead him to the nightstones sothat he might resurrect the Lord of the Feast – and this time, Ethan plans todo the job right.

Flame Tree Press Paperback and eBook: https://www.flametreepublishing.com/lord-of-the-feast-isbn-9781787586369.html

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Lord-Feast-Tim-Waggoner-ebook/dp/B0CBQMLJ61/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1S1RPF1DP3ML&keywords=tim+waggoner+lord+of+the+feast&qid=1690773832&s=books&sprefix=tim+waggoner+lor%2Cstripbooks%2C113&sr=1-1

Barnes & Noble Paperback: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lord-of-the-feast-tim-waggoner/1143636012?ean=9781787586369

Barnes & Noble eBook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lord-of-the-feast-tim-waggoner/1143636012?ean=9781787586376

TheAtrocity Engine

TheAtrocity Enginewill be out from Aethon Books on April 30th, 2024. It’s the first of a darkfantasy trilogy, and the other two books – Book of Madness and TheDesolation War – have already been turned in to my editor. I don’t havepublication dates for them yet, but I’ll keep you posted.

Here’sthe publisher’s description of The Atrocity Engine:

Menin Blackmeets Hellraiser in this rollicking mash-up of urban fantasy and cosmichorror from four-time Bram Stoker Award-Winning author Tim Waggoner.

Creaturesfrom dark dimensions infesting your home? Demonic beings trying to drive youinsane? Alien gods attempting to destroy your universe?

Justcall Maintenance.

Thisunderpaid and overworked secret organization is dedicated to battling forcesthat seek to speed up Entropy and hasten the Omniverse’s inevitable death.

Butthey better learn to get along fast.

Justanother day on the job. . .

AmazonHardback: https://www.amazon.com/Atrocity-Engine-Tim-Waggoner/dp/1949890899/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1699124447&sr=1-2

B&NHardcover: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book/1144299910?ean=9781949890891

ReviewQuotes for The Atrocity Engine

TheAtrocity Enginereceived positive reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, and Booklist,plus it got some wonderful blurbs from fellow writers!

· “Waggoneroffers a fresh variation on the trope of a covert agency combating evil in hisblood-drenched Custodians of the Cosmos series opener.” – Publishers Weekly

· “Thisgripping dark fantasy boasts an indelible cast and an unwavering pace.” –Kirkus Reviews

· "is a wild ride full ofentertaining scenarios and scary monsters!" – Booklist

· “TheAtrocity Engine is a kick-ass cross-genre thrill ride of a novel! Holymoly! Tim Waggoner is easily one of today’s best horror writers.” – JonathanMaberry, NY Times bestselling author of Cave 13 and Necrotek

· "Thisis edge-of-your-seat Horror Fantasy. It's as if Stephen King wrote Men inBlack!" —Scott Sigler, #1 NYT Bestselling author of Earthcore

· “Fast-paced,cleverly thought-through, and deeply unnerving in all the right places—urbanhorror fantasy with a decidedly creepy difference. Don't read it in the dark!”– Diane Duane, New York Times bestselling author of Tales of theFive: The Librarian

· “A brutal,dark, and disturbing novel that will live in your nightmares. It’s so good!” –Horror Reads

SCHEDULEDAPPEARANCES

StokerCon 2024. May 30th toJune 2nd. San Diego, California.

IGW Genre Con. August 17thand August 18th. Huntington, West Virginia.

WHERE TO FIND ME ONLINE

Newsletter Sign-Up: https://timwaggoner.com/contact.htm

Website: www.timwaggoner.com

Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Tim-Waggoner/author/B001JP0XFM?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/timwaggonerswritinginthedark

Instagram: tim.waggoner.scribe

Threads: @tim.waggoner.scribe@threads.net

https://www.cemeterydance.com/extras/what-screams-may-come-tim-waggoner/

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Published on March 16, 2024 19:21

February 20, 2024

The Atrocity Engine

My next novel, The Atrocity Engine,is the first in a series of horror/urban fantasy novels for Aethon Books calledThe Custodians of the Cosmos. It’ll be out April 30th, and it’savailable for preorder now. Advance reviews in trade publications, on NetGalley,and on Goodreads have been great so far, and I can’t wait for everyone meet theagents of Maintenance, the hardest-working heroes in horror!

Thebook is currently available for review on NetGalley, so if you want to snag acopy early, here’s your chance! https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/318185

TheMaintenance novels take place in the mythos I’ve been developing since my novelThe Harmony Society came out in 2003. If you want to learn more about mymythos, you can check out this previous blog entry: https://writinginthedarktw.blogspot.com/2022/12/twenty-years-of-waggoner-mythos.html

(Don’tworry, though. You can read the Maintenance novels without having read any ofmy other work.)

What’sThe Atrocity Engine about? Glad you asked!

Publisher’sSynopsis

Menin Blackmeets Hellraiser in this rollicking mash-up of urban fantasy and cosmichorror from four-time Bram Stoker Award-Winning author Tim Waggoner.

Creaturesfrom dark dimensions infesting your home? Demonic beings trying to drive youinsane? Alien gods attempting to destroy your universe?

Justcall Maintenance.

Thisunderpaid and overworked secret organization is dedicated to battling forcesthat seek to speed up Entropy and hasten the Omniverse’s inevitable death.

Butthey better learn to get along fast.

Justanother day on the job. . .

Praise for The Atrocity Engine

Here are some fantastic blurbs The Atrocity Engine has received sofar!

“Waggoner offers a fresh variation on the trope of acovert agency combating evil in his blood-drenched Custodians of the Cosmosseries opener.” – Publishers Weekly

“This gripping dark fantasy boasts an indelible castand an unwavering pace.” – Kirkus Reviews

"THE ATROCITY ENGINE is a wild ride full ofentertaining scenarios and scary monsters!" – Booklist

"This is edge-of-your-seat Horror Fantasy. It'sas if Stephen King wrote MEN IN BLACK!" —Scott Sigler, #1 NYT Bestsellingauthor of EARTHCORE

“A brutal, dark, and disturbing novel that will livein your nightmares. It’s so good!” – Horror Reads

WritingThe Atrocity Engine

TheAtrocity Engineis the first in a series featuring the entropy battling organization ofMaintenance. This novel is a combination of horror, science fiction, fantasy,action-adventure, and humor with strong characters. The next two novels are Bookof Madness and The Desolation War.

Nomatter how weird my novels get, I keep them grounded by giving them realistic,relatable characters and sharp description.

Ioriginally created Maintenance for a horror/dark fantasy novel called Eatthe Night, which came out several years ago. During the COVID lockdown Ihad extra time on my hands, and I decided to take my brand of weird horror andblend it with urban fantasy, just to see what happened. I wrote ninety pages,then deadlines for other projects reared their ugly heads, and I had to turn myattention to them. After a while, Idecided to write an outline for a full novel and send the completed pages to myagent, who sold a three-book series to Aethon.

AlthoughI had to work on other projects after writing part of The Atrocity Engine,the characters and their world refused to leave me alone. I knew I had tofinish their story one day, so I was very glad that Aethon Books gave me thechance!

Icame up with the tagline I use for the book – Men in Black Meets Hellraiser– early on, and I used that as my focus while writing. I also thought of howthe crew in Ghostbusters were portrayed as everyday working schlubs whowere tired and unimpressed by the bizarre things they encountered. I wanted togive my Maintenance agents that same kind of attitude.

NealHudson is one of two main characters in the novel. The other is his new partner, Gina Sandoval.Neal is in his mid-forties and on the verge of burn-out, and Gina is in herearly twenties and embarking on her first real posting with Maintenance. I'm amiddle-aged guy, and I wanted to use someone around my age as the protagonist.I also wanted to depict a professional relationship between a man and a womanthat, while it eventually becomes a deep friendship, is not a romantic one.

Oneof the major themes in my work is the question of how do humans live with theknowledge that they – and the universe itself – will die. It's a question theagents of Maintenance have to wrestle with constantly, and while the book is ahardly a philosophical treatise, I hope readers might ponder the questions itraises, at least a little.

Wantto learn even more about the writing of The Atrocity Engine? Check outthis in-depth interview with me about the book on Cemetery Dance Online:

Wantto preorder the novel? I got you covered!

PurchaseLinks

AmazonHardback: https://www.amazon.com/Atrocity-Engine-Tim-Waggoner/dp/1949890899/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1699124447&sr=1-2

B&NHardcover: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book/1144299910?ean=9781949890891

Bookof Madness and The Desolation War

Thesecond and third books in the series are finished, but I don’t have releasedates for them yet. I do have covers that I can share with you, though!

Ihope you’ll check out The Atrocity Engine and ride along with Neal andGina as they fight to give all of creation a little more time before the finaldarkness closes in.

AmazonPaperback: https://www.amazon.com/Lord-Feast-Tim-Waggoner/dp/1787586367/ref=sr_1_1?crid=SKJPJ80J420A&keywords=tim+waggoner&qid=1687610372&s=books&sprefix=tim+waggoner%2Cstripbooks%2C139&sr=1-1

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Published on February 20, 2024 13:48

January 14, 2024

Writing with Dysthymia

Inlate October 2023, Lee Murray emailed me to ask if I’d be interested incontributing an article the Holistic Horrors column for the Horror WritersAssociation Newsletter. The column focuses on mental health in horror, andLee suggested a couple topics, one of them being how my dysthymia affects mywriting process. That’s the topic I went with, and now that it’s been a couplemonths since the article appeared, I thought I’d share it on my blog as well.

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN THE RAIN?

TIM WAGGONER

Inaddition to being a writer, I teach composition and creative writing atSinclair College in Dayton, Ohio. In my composition courses, I tell student toavoid beginning their essays with “According to Webster’s Dictionary . ..” and then defining a term that readers are already familiar with. “We don’tneed to know what a dictionary says,” I tell them. “We need to know what yousay.”

Soguess what I’m about to do?

Accordingto John Hopkins Medicine website, “Dysthymia is a milder, butlong-lasting form of depression. It’s also called persistent depressivedisorder. People with this condition may also have bouts of major depression attimes.” (In my defense, dysthymia isn’t a term that most people are familiarwith, so a definition seems in order. I can imagine all my composition studentspast and present laughing their asses off right now, though.)

I’dnever heard of dysthymia before I was diagnosed with it. My first marriage hadimploded, and I was in therapy to help me deal with the emotional fallout, and– more importantly to me – learn how to help my two young daughters cope. Mytherapist mentioned in passing that I was dysthymic, and I asked her to explainwhat that meant. She did, and it explained so much about me. I knew Iexperienced regular bouts of depression, and I figured there was a geneticcomponent to it since my mother was a depressive agoraphobic, but I alsobelieved my episodes of depression were just that: episodes. The idea that I wasalways depressed on some level was a revelation to me, and not exactly awelcome one. I live with lower-case depression every day, and I have to becareful that it doesn’t turn into Depression with a capital D – especially whenthose life circumstances I mentioned above rear their ugly heads. Therapy andmeds help a lot, but they aren’t miracle cure-alls. Over the years I’ve made anuneasy peace with my dysthymia, but it still affects all aspects of my life,and that includes my writing. So what’s it like for me to be dysthymic and howdo I cope?

· I write toself-medicate. I’mconsidered a fairy prolific author, and while a number of factors contribute tothis – I spend a lot of time envisioning what I want to write beforehand, Iwrite fast, I make decisions easily and quickly when I write – I rarely feel asgood as when I’m writing steadily and completing projects (which means I writea lot). I spent all of October writing a novel that had a short deadline, and Iwrote every waking hour that I wasn’t teaching. I finished the book, and I wason a creative high the entire time I was writing it. When I was working on it,my current wife remarked – not for the first time – how much happier I am whenI’ve been writing steadily. I’m lucky that I can mood alter by writing. I haveno interest in drinking alcohol or taking drugs, but if I didn’t have mywriting, who knows how I might self-medicate?

· But I’m careful toavoid becoming a workaholic. I usually take breaks between projects,and unless I have an extremely tight deadline (like with the book I justmentioned) I’ll write for two or three hours a day, and may skip a day here orthere if other things demand my attention. But I’m still mindful not to letwriting take over my life to an unhealthy extent.

· The highs aren’tvery high . . . Idon’t feel positive emotions intensely, so when something good happens in mycareer – such as landing a new contract or winning an award – I know not toexpect to feel an intense high, and I know the positive feelings I do feelwon’t last long. If I didn’t know this about myself, I might start to questionthe point of writing when the emotional rewards that come from it can be soephemeral for me.

· . . . and the lowscan be very low.Before I learned to deal with my dysthymia, setbacks in my writing career couldhit me pretty hard. My first novel deal fell through when the publisher saidthey were no longer “comfortable with the book.” (I never found out what thehell that meant. My agent at the time said, “Who cares? It’s a no, and we moveon.”) This was the first “Tim Waggoner” novel I wrote, the one that was 100percent me, and having that deal fall through felt like a repudiation ofnot only my work but of my unique vision as an artist. It was, not to put toofine a point on it, rough. That book was The Harmony Society, whicheventually found a home with Prime Books and later Dark Regions Press, whichstill publishes it today. If I’d known at the time that I was dysthymic, Imight’ve been able to prevent the resulting depression from becoming as bad asit did, and maybe I would’ve been able to come out of it sooner.

· But I have a lotof experience dealing with the lows. But every time I had to deal with asetback like UNNAMED PUBLISHER changing their minds about my novel, I learnedmore about handling the deep depressions that could result from them. And onceI learned I was dysthymic and understood how prone to full-blown depression Iam, when a setback came, I knew a depression would likely follow. I came toview my episodes of depression like bad weather. I knew they would passeventually. Because of this, my depressive episodes lost a lot of their powerover me. I knew they were natural responses (natural for me) to setbacks ornegative events in my life, and this made it easier for me to get through themwithout wallowing in my misery and making the situation ten times worse.

· It can sometimesbe hard to find the motivation to write. I’d say this is probably true forthe vast majority of writers at times, but dysthymia has different levels to itbefore it slides into a major depression. Sometimes I’m at my normal level offeeling down, and I can function well enough. But when my dysthymia hits adeeper level, I find it harder to do anything. Reminding myself that writinghelps boost my mood helps get me going sometimes. Other times, I tell myselfwho cares how I feel? The point is to produce words, so I should just get toit. Often, my mood improves when I take this approach too. If I can’t focus onmy writing no matter what I do, I do something else that contributes to mywriting career – work on a blog, a video for my YouTube Channel, the nextedition of my newsletter, etc. I’ve learned over the years that as long as I’mmaking something, whatever it might be, my mood will eventually improve.

· I was afraidtaking antidepressants would affect my creativity. When a therapistfirst suggested I start taking meds for my depression, I was afraid to do it. Iknew anti-depression meds alter a person’s brain chemistry, so what if theyaltered mine in a way that interfered with my writing? What if I neededto feel depressed to write? I’d always told myself I didn’t believe in the ideathat artists must suffer to produce their best work, but there I was, believingit anyway. I eventually decided to try medication, and my doctor put me on 100mg of Zoloft. I’ve been on that dose for over two decades, and in that time,I’ve published dozens of novels and maybe 100 short stories and who knows howmany articles. Medication isn’t magic, though. I still feel down most of thetime, but I’m less likely to experience deep depression, and that’s made a hugedifference in my life.

· I know the voiceslie. Idon’t literally hear voices telling me negative things. This is crap, you’recrap, you’re a failed writer, you should quit and stop putting yourself throughall this grief . . . These are my own dark thoughts, of course, butsometimes they feel like outside voices, and when I start thinking thesekinds of things, I remind myself that the voices lie. If I try to fightthem, if I put energy of any sort into them, they only get stronger. But if Irealize that what they say isn’t true, I can ignore them while they talk, andeventually they grow fainter and shut up altogether. I know they’ll be back,sooner rather than later, but that’s okay. I know how to deal with them.

· I try not tocompare myself with other writers. An old writers’ saying, which I’ve writtenabout many times, is that “Envy is the writer’s disease.” It’s hard not to wantwhat others writers have – bigger contracts, more readers, critical acclaim,regular appearances on best-of lists, being invited to write for the mosthigh-profile anthologies, etc. – and while we may work for these things andachieve some of them (or maybe even all of them), there are still things wewill never achieve or obtain in our careers. Stephen King still longs for theacceptance of the literary world. Literary writers bemoan their smallreadership and lack of sales, even though their work wins prestigious awardsand is respected by literary critics. It’s only human to yearn for what wedon’t have, but if we’re not careful – and are prone to persistent negativethinking like dysthymics – comparing ourselves to other authors can send usspiraling into a major depression pretty damn fast. I still compare myself toother writers all the time, but I try not to let my envy get the better of me,and while I have some bad moments here and there, for the most part, I do okay.

· Write with intent,but without attachment to an outcome. I learned this from Taylor Grant, and it’sbeen a lifesaver for me. When I write, I do so with clear, specific intent. Iwant a book to be the best I can make it. I want it to be a good book of itstype (horror, dark fantasy, media tie-in, etc.). I want it to be both aneffective artistic expression and an enjoyable piece of entertainment. If Iaccomplish my intentions for a project, then I’ve already succeeded. But once Ifinish the book (or story, or article), I am not attached to any particularoutcome. If the book doesn’t sell, oh well. I’ll write another. I don’t writeon spec often at this stage of my career, but I currently have two on-specnovels – a psychological horror/thriller novel and a middle-grade horror novel– still making the rounds. They were two books I wanted to write, I wrote them,I think they’re good books, and I’m proud of them. Mission accomplished. I stillwant them to published, but that will be icing (sweet, sweet icing!) on afinished cake. I’m not so attached to their being published that if they neverare, I won’t be emotionally devastated, and I’ll just move on, although I mayshed a tear or two before doing so.

· I have dysthymia,but my identity isn’t centered around it. For me, it’s all about balance. Iaccept that I have dysthymia, but it’s a condition. It’s not who I am. It’s partof me, but not all of me. When I was first diagnosed with dysthymia, itwas a challenge not to use it as an excuse. If I didn’t feel like writing on aparticular day, I could shrug my shoulders and say, “Oh well. Not my fault. I’mdysthymic, and I’m feeling too down today to do much more than watch TV. Iwonder what’s on?” There are days when I’m too depressed to write, and even ifI try, I can’t make myself do it. When that happens, I don’t beat myself upabout it. I just try again the next day, and the day after that, until thewords start coming, maybe slowly at first, but eventually they come faster andeasier.

I’ll never be free of my dysthymia, butthat’s okay. I’ll keep trying to understand it better and find new ways to workaround it, work with it, work through it, or work despite it. And if itsometimes gets the better of me, that’s okay too. I just have to wait for therain to pass.

DEPARTMENTOF SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION

TwoBooks Coming Out in April

Oneof the (sometimes) awkward things about being a fairly prolific author is thatsometimes I’ll have books coming out from different publishers almost as thesame time. That’s the situation for me in April when Lord of the Feastand The Atrocity Engine will be released two weeks apart.

Althoughthe books are being released more or less at the same time, Lord of the Feastwas written a couple years before The Atrocity Engine. Both books alsodeal with the same mythos and share settings that I’ve used in a number of mynovels, but Lord of the Feast is a horror novel and The AtrocityEngine is a dark fantasy adventure. Do they literally take place in thesame world? Yes, but I also consider them as separate because of theirdifferent styles.

Youdon’t need to read both novels. You can enjoy each one on its own terms, but itmight be interesting to read both and see me present my mythos in differentways.

Lordof the Feast

Mynew horror novel is due out from Flame Tree Press on April 16th,2024.

Synopsis:

Twentyyears ago, a cult attempted to create their own god: The Lord of the Feast. Thegod was a horrible, misbegotten thing, however, and the cultists killed thecreature before it could come into its full power. The cultists trapped thepieces of their god inside mystic nightstones then went their separate ways.Now Kate, one of the cultists’ children, seeks out her long-lost relatives,hoping to learn the truth of what really happened on that fateful night.Unknown to Kate, her cousin Ethan is following her, hoping she’ll lead him tothe nightstones so that he might resurrect the Lord of the Feast – and thistime, Ethan plans to do the job right.

FlameTree Press Paperback and eBook: https://www.flametreepublishing.com/lord-of-the-feast-isbn-9781787586369.html

Barnes& Noble Paperback: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lord-of-the-feast-tim-waggoner/1143636012?ean=9781787586369

Barnes& Noble eBook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lord-of-the-feast-tim-waggoner/1143636012?ean=9781787586376

TheAtrocity Engine

TheAtrocity Enginewill be out from Aethon Books on April 30th, 2024. It’s the first ofa dark fantasy trilogy, and the other two books – Book of Madness and TheDesolation War – have already been turned in to my editor. I don’t have publicationdates for them yet. I’ll keep you posted.

Here’sthe publisher’s description of The Atrocity Engine:

Menin Blackmeets Hellraiser in this rollicking mash-up of urban fantasy and cosmichorror from four-time Bram Stoker Award-Winning author Tim Waggoner.

Creaturesfrom dark dimensions infesting your home? Demonic beings trying to drive youinsane? Alien gods attempting to destroy your universe?

Justcall Maintenance.

Thisunderpaid and overworked secret organization is dedicated to battling forcesthat seek to speed up Entropy and hasten the Omniverse’s inevitable death.

Butthey better learn to get along fast.

Justanother day on the job. . .

AmazonHardback: https://www.amazon.com/Atrocity-Engine-Tim-Waggoner/dp/1949890899/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1699124447&sr=1-2

B&NHardcover: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book/1144299910?ean=9781949890891

KirkusReviews on The Atrocity Engine

Kirkusreviews gave The Atrocity Engine a great review! “This gripping dark fantasyboasts an indelible cast and an unwavering pace.” You can read the full reviewhere:

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/tim-waggoner/the-atrocity-engine/

LetMe Tell You a Story

InLet Me Tell You a Story, I present stories from my own publishing careerand use them to illustrate writing techniques and discuss ways writers canimprove their own work. It’s a how-to book, but it’s also acareer-retrospective short story collection, and a memoir as well.

Youcan order Let Me Tell You a Story directly from Raw Dog Screaming Presshere:

https://rawdogscreaming.com/books/let-me-tell-you-a-story/

Butif you’d prefer to order from Amazon or B&N . . .

AmazonPaperback: https://www.amazon.com/Let-Tell-Story-Writing-Dark/dp/1947879642/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2Y27YWQGQQ6QW&keywords=tim+waggoner&qid=1693058194&s=books&sprefix=tim+waggoner%2Cstripbooks%2C140&sr=1-3

AmazonHardback: https://www.amazon.com/Let-Tell-Story-Writing-Dark/dp/1947879634/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2Y27YWQGQQ6QW&keywords=tim+waggoner&qid=1693058359&s=books&sprefix=tim+waggoner%2Cstripbooks%2C140&sr=1-4

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CH7Q6NL4/ref=sr_1_10?crid=3W0IQXTRZOE04&keywords=tim+waggoner&qid=1693834587&s=books&sprefix=tim+waggoner%2Cstripbooks%2C119&sr=1-10

Barnesand Noble Paperback: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1143990468?ean=9781947879645

Barnesand Noble Hardback: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1143990468?ean=9781947879638

HorrorHero’s Journey

I’llbe teaching a class for Horror University, The Horror Hero’s Journey, on March25, 2024, 8pm. You and find more info at the link below:

https://horror-university.teachable.com/p/the-horror-hero-s-journey

SCHEDULEDAPPEARANCES

StokerCon2024. May 30th to June 2nd. San Diego, California.

IGWGenre Con. August 17th and August 18th. Huntington, WestVirginia.

WHERETO FIND ME ONLINE

Newsletter Sign-Up: https://timwaggoner.com/contact.htm

Website: www.timwaggoner.com

Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Tim-Waggoner/author/B001JP0XFM?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/timwaggonerswritinginthedark

Instagram: tim.waggoner.scribe

Threads: @tim.waggoner.scribe@threads.net

https://rawdogscreaming.com/books/let-me-tell-you-a-story/

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Published on January 14, 2024 15:14

December 26, 2023

The Year-End Writer Blues

I’m writing this at 6:23 pm on ChristmasDay. My family has always celebrated the holiday on Christmas Eve (my dad saidthis was so the kids would sleep and not keep their parents up all night), somy Christmas was on the 24th. My one-year-old dachshund Bailey issnoozing on the couch next to me, and my fifteen-year-old cat Banshee issleeping on the other couch. My wife is in the bedroom, talking to her aunt onthe phone.

Theholiday season can be rough on people. There’s pressure to buy a lot of shit,pressure to interact with family members you might not get along with, pressureto entertain guests, pressure to be happy and love everything and everyone. Andif you normally feel down, you might feel even more down. Holidays magnify everything,good and bad. But for writers, the end of the year can be hard for otherreasons as well. For this is the time when writers taut their accomplishmentsfor the year on social media, and it’s the time readers, reviewers, andcritics post their best-of-the-year booklists. And it doesn’t help that thepublishing business grinds to a halt in December, so there’s a whole lot ofnothing happening for traditionally published writers this month. (My agentwon’t submit anything in December because of this. She waits and startssubmitting again in January.)

SometimesI wonder if we should come up with a name for this season. The DecemberDoldrums? The Great Suck? The Envytime? Whether it has a name or not, it’s alousy headspace to be in, especially with all the other stresses the holidayseason can bring. But if you intend to remain a writer, you’re going to have tofind a way to get through this time and come out the other side, if notrecharged, then at least prepared to keep plugging away.

Istruggle with posting my writing accomplishments at the end of the year. On theone hand, it gives me something to put on social media and it might helppromote me and my work. But on the other hand, it could demoralize newerauthors, authors who write slower than I do, or authors who have more obstaclesin their lives than I do that keep them from writing as often or as much asthey want. But this year I decided to do it and see what sort of reaction Igot. Here’s what I posted across my various social media account – Facebook,Instagram, Bluesky, and Threads. (I still have an account on X/Twitter, butonly so someone else can’t claim my name there and pretend to be me. I don’tpost on X/Twitter anymore because fuck nazis, terfs, racists, homophobes, transphobes,and maga-heads.)

Here’smy 2023 Writing Year in Review!

Iwrote:

1novelization

1.5novels

1novella

6short stories

(And a couple more stories that haven’t soldyet)

2introductions

3articles for the HWA Newsletter

Iwon my fourth Bram Stoker Award and my first Scribe Award.

Iconducted 10 writing workshops.

Afterposting, I added this:

Iforgot articles for 16 blog entries and articles for 7 newsletters (usually 2 articlesper newsletter)!

AndI totally forgot to mention the handful of videos I recorded for my YouTubechannel.

Doesthis sound like a lot? It’s more or less a normal amount of productivity for me,and has been since my daughters hit high school. They’re 23 and 28 now andhaven’t lived at home for a while, but when they were very young, I was luckyto produce a third of what’s on the list, if that. I started writing at 18 andI’m 59 now, so I’ve had a lot of practice, which naturally helps me bemore productive. And I’ve always been a fast writer, which obviously helps too.I’m also lucky that my long career means that people often approach me aboutdoing projects. My novelization, novella, most of the short stories, theintroductions, and all the workshops on the list came about because someonereached out to me and asked, “Hey, would you be interested in doing somethingfor us?” It’s a lot easier to be productive (at least it is for me) when youknow someone already wants what you’re creating.

Theresponses I got to my year-end productivity post were positive, and thankfullyI didn’t get responses from people using my post to beat up on themselves. You’reso lucky. I wish someone would ask me to contribute a story to ananthology. I’m sure there were people who read the post and thoughtsomething like that, though. The reason I know this is because I sometimesthink things like that when I read other authors’ year-end posts. You mightthink with everything I’ve accomplished so far in my career, I wouldn’t comparemy achievements to anyone else’s, but you’ d be wrong. I don’t getsuper-depressed when other writers post their accomplishments, but I can feelwistful, jealous, and negative about myself as a writer.

Idon’t mean this post to read like a Festivus airing of grievances. I’m writingit to let you know that even writers that have had a certain amount of successcan still feel down during the Great Suck.

Here’s what alwaysmakes me envious about other authors’ end-of-the-year lists and posts.

· They worked with publishers I want to work with. Most of my writinghas been traditionally published with small to medium-press companies. I’ve hadsome media tie-in books published with bigger houses, but not my original work.And some of these bigger publishers have had submissions of original fiction ofmine for several years without responding.

· They made foreign rights sales. My media tie-inbooks have been translated into other languages, but aside from a Frenchedition of Nekropolis and a few short stories, I’ve had no luck sellingmy fiction to foreign publishers – and I’ve tried for decades. An Italianpublisher was going to bring out an edition of Like Death, but theyfolded before it was published. I’ve submitted work to a number of foreignpublishers over the years, but after initial contact they always ghost me. Sowhen I see writers talk about their foreign rights sales at the end of theyear, I’m always envious (and I wonder what’s wrong with my work that foreignpublishers of horror fiction don’t want to take it).

· They made movie or TV deals. I’ve come close afew times over the years. When Like Death first came out, a producer ofsoft-core porn wanted to option it. He sent me a DVD of one of his films. Ibarely made it through the first few minutes, so that was a no from me, dawg.The screenwriter of Halloween 6 was interested in Like Death aswell, but that movie isn’t good (to put it mildly), so I passed. When Nekropoliscame out, several screenwriters and producers were interested in it, but none ofthem offered any money. My agent at the time said, “No money, no option,” and Ifollowed his advice. That’s common wisdom in the writing world, but I sometimeswonder what might’ve happened if I took a chance on some of these people. It’sbeen years since any film folk have inquired about rights to any of my work,and although I reach out to some from time to time, nothing has come of it. Soseeing writers talk about the works they had optioned over the previous year alwaysmakes me let out a big sigh.

· Their work appears on best-of-the-year lists. My work rarelyappears on any of these lists. (Writing in the Dark was an exception theyear it came out.) I read the lists, and I’m happy for my friends who made them,but I’m always a bit wistful that I’m not listed with them.

· Their stories appear in best-of anthologies. I’ve had storiesselected for editions of Best Hardcore Horror of the Year, but that serieswas discontinued. I’ve had work in some other Best-of’s, such as The Best ofCemetery Dance 2, but my work has never appeared in Ellen Datlow’s, StephenJones’, or Paula Guran’s Best-of anthologies.

· Their announce that this is their X anniversary as afull-time writer. Thisone always strikes me as funny because I long ago decided not to try to becomea full-time writer. Back in the 90’s, I was on an online message board called GEnie,and since message boards were new (and few and far between), a lot ofprofessional writers were there, too. In private topics reserved for members ofwriters’ organizations, writers would discuss what it was like for them towrite full time: no health insurance, unstable and unreliable income, troublepaying bills, trouble feeding themselves and their family, etc. The ones whowere doing okay usually had spouses that provided the benefits and a majorityof the income. Sure, there were writers who made a living solely off their workwith no extra sources of income, but they weren’t common. The writers whostruggled to make ends meet were so stressed that they had difficulty producingwork as well. All of that sounded like a nightmare to me, plus I wanted to stayconnected to the world so I would have new experiences to fuel my writing. Thisis why I started teaching college-level writing classes, and why I’ve kept ondoing it for over 35 years. And yet, whenever I see another writer post thatthis is the tenth anniversary of their full-time career as a novelist, I still wonderif I made the right choice.

· They went to more conventions/writing events than I did.Iget so jealous when I see other writers list all the cons and events they’vegone to – especially the ones where lots of writers are present. One of thehard things about being a writer is that my friends are scattered across the world,and I mostly interact with them online. I rarely get to hang out with them inperson, and I wish I was able to travel more frequently.

· The Ghosts of Envies Past: I used to getdown when writers posted about the awards they’d won, until I started winningsome myself. And I used to get down about writers who published more often andmore regularly than I did until I started publishing a fair amount each year.

So how can you deal with theend-of-the-year writer blahs? Here are some things I do.

· I allow myself tofeel my feelings, but I try not to intensify them. If a small firestarts, it will burn out on its own before too long. But if you keep pouringgasoline on it, it’ll grow and spread. Focusing on negative feelings canintensify them until they become entrenched, then they’re much harder to getrid of. I let the feelings come, I feel them, then I let them go (or at least I’lltry).

· Focus on what you have, not what you don’t have. It’s human natureto desire what we don’t have and to feel shitty if we don’t get it. You canmake an argument that this feeling of lack is what drives us to achieve more,but if we never take the time to appreciate our achievements, whatever theyare, lack is all we’ll ever feel. We’ll feel like we’re never good enough andnever will be, and that’s a miserable state to exist in. And, of course, ourwriting will suffer for it. I try to celebrate every writing victory, howeversmall, even if the celebration is something like buying a new book to read or goingout to eat (at a reasonably priced restaurant). Years ago, I used to keep adaily writing journal where I’d record how much I’d written each day, any writingbusiness-related stuff I did, and any achievements. I could look over entries wheneverI was feeling down, and doing so helped raise my spirits. If you don’t want tobother with a journal, get a calendar, record achievements on the day theyhappen, then when you need to, flip to past months, look at the entries, and remindyourself that yes, you have made strides in your writing career.

· Perseverance furthers. A lot of writers used to pass around this advice, but not so much thesedays. It comes from the I Ching, which is used as in divination. If you’renot familiar with it, here’s a link for more info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Ching.In 1985-86, I was the editor of my college literary magazine. My co-editor,Vance Wissinger, was ten years older than me, and he introduced me to the IChing. Vance had me concentrate on a question – I chose Will I ever be aprofessional writer? – then tossed a few Chinese coins that Vance broughton top of a desk. He read the numbers on the coins, did some mental calculation,then looked up the corresponding entry in the book for the answer to my question.It was Perseverance furthers. (I wouldn’t be surprised if every page ofthe I Ching has this answer on it, so often does it come up.) I didn’treally believe it was a magical prediction, but the message still spoke to me. Perseverancewas something I could control, and furthers, while not promising massiveamounts of success, did promise progress. This phrase has been my mantrawhenever I start feeling crappy about my writing career. Perseverancefurthers.

· Keep a Zen mindset. I’ve written about this before in previousblog entries, but it bears repeating here. The author Taylor Grant says hewrites with intention but without attachment to a specific outcome. This meanshe focuses on the creation of a piece of writing, making it the best it can be,and doesn’t focus on what will happen to this piece of writing once it is finished.Once the writing is complete, he’s succeeded in his goal. Whatever happens withthe piece afterward is icing on the cake. To put this technique into practiceregarding the topic for this entry, let’s say you write a ghost story with theintention of making it a unique take on the trope while also being hella scary.Once it’s finished to your satisfaction, you can submit it to an editor, butyou aren’t attached to it being published, or if it is published, you’re notattached to it showing up on a Year’s-Best list (or being nominated for awardsor optioned for film, etc.). This mindset keeps you focused on the writing,which is where your focus should be, and you don’t become overly focused on howyour writing is viewed by the world. I’ve found this mindset very helpful overthe years, especially if I find myself starting to feel disappointed my writingdidn’t achieve a specific goal, like being made into a zillion-dollar-grossingblockbuster film.

· What would the you of yesterday think of your writing careertoday? Isometimes think back to the eighteen-year-old I used to be and ask myself whatwould he think of what his fifty-nine-year-old self has achieved in the last forty-oneyears. Would he be glad to have the kind of career I’ve made for myself? Wouldhe feel like I was a success? If I went back in time and handed him a giantstack of books I’ve written, would he give a shit that most of them neverappeared on a year’s-end best-of list? Of course, not (although he’d probablybe freaked out to see me!). The books would mean everything to him, though. Imaginingthis helps me keep perspective on my achievements and career.

· Why are you writing and who are you writing for? Are you writing tobe acknowledged in best-of lists, to win awards, make a pile of money, and toget on Hollywood’s radar? Most of those things won’t happen for each book youwrite, if they ever do happen. But if you write to please yourself, to learnand grow as an artist, to entertain, challenge, provoke, or inspire yourreaders, the lack of those other things won’t get you down. And paradoxically,not worrying about them will result in better writing, which will give you abetter chance to win awards and get on Best-of lists.

· Control what youcan control – your writing. We can’t control how the world responds(or doesn’t respond) to our work. What we can control is the writingitself, and that’s why it should always be our main focus. Awards and appearanceson best-of-the-year lists are nice, but they are not the writing. Only the writingis the writing.

It’s taken me a couple days to write this entrysince I’m also currently working on a novel that’s due soon. It’s the 26thnow. My wife is off shopping at Sam’s Club, Bailey is snoozing with her head inmy lap as I type, and Banshee is asleep on the same couch as yesterday, althoughshe’s moved to the other side of it. Variety is the spice of life, after all.And in the interval between starting this entry and finishing it, I’ve seeneven more writers post their end-of-year reports on social media. One was awriter who asked me to blurb his first book years ago, and he’s now an authorof 15 popular and well-regarded fantasy novels with more under contract, and herecently quit his day job to become a full-time novelist, supporting his familywith his writing. So I had a chance to practice what I’ve preached above onceagain!

Bailey checking to make sure Banshee is still alive

Try the techniques I’ve discussed wheneveryou start feeling negative about your writing career, especially at the end ofthe year. That, or stay off social media during the entire month of December.Maybe January, too, just to be safe.

DEPARTMENTOF SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION

Terrifier2 Novelization

BloodyDisgusting is launching their own publishing imprint, and they’re starting witha novelization of Terrifier 2, written by me! Here’s a link to theofficial announcement in Variety: https://variety.com/2023/biz/news/bloody-disgusting-terrifier-dead-space-1235791885/

Thegood people are Bloody Disgusting are planning to have the book out inFebruary, but I don’t have any preorder links to share yet. No cover to share either.Hopefully soon for both! I had an absolute blast writing the book, and I got toadd a number of original scenes. The plan is for me to also write novelizationsof Terrifier and Terrifier 3, but there are no contracts in placeyet. I’m confident the deal will work out, though.

TheAtrocity Engine

TheAtrocity Engine,the first volume in my new series for Aethon Books, will be out April 30th,2024, and it’s currently available to preorder. Here’s the publisher’sdescription:

Menin Blackmeets Hellraiser in this rollicking mash-up of urban fantasy and cosmichorror from four-time Bram Stoker Award-Winning author Tim Waggoner.

Creaturesfrom dark dimensions infesting your home? Demonic beings trying to drive youinsane? Alien gods attempting to destroy your universe?

Justcall Maintenance.

Thisunderpaid and overworked secret organization is dedicated to battling forcesthat seek to speed up Entropy and hasten the Omniverse’s inevitable death.

Butthey better learn to get along fast.

Justanother day on the job. . .

Orderlinks:

AmazonHardback: https://www.amazon.com/Atrocity-Engine-Tim-Waggoner/dp/1949890899/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1699124447&sr=1-2

B&NHardcover: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book/1144299910?ean=9781949890891

Coversfor Book of Madness and The Desolation War

Thenext two books in the series – Book of Madness and The Desolation War– aren’t available for preorder yet, but I’m going to show you the covers. Ithink they look awesome!

LetMe Tell You a Story

In Let Me Tell You a Story, Ipresent stories from my own publishing career and use them to illustratewriting techniques and discuss ways writers can improve their own work. It’s ahow-to book, but it’s also a career-retrospective short story collection, and amemoir as well.

Youcan order Let Me Tell You a Story directly from Raw Dog Screaming Presshere:

But if you’d prefer to order fromAmazon or B&N . . .

Amazon Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/Let-Tell-Story-Writing-Dark/dp/1947879642/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2Y27YWQGQQ6QW&keywords=tim+waggoner&qid=1693058194&s=books&sprefix=tim+waggoner%2Cstripbooks%2C140&sr=1-3

Amazon Hardback: https://www.amazon.com/Let-Tell-Story-Writing-Dark/dp/1947879634/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2Y27YWQGQQ6QW&keywords=tim+waggoner&qid=1693058359&s=books&sprefix=tim+waggoner%2Cstripbooks%2C140&sr=1-4

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CH7Q6NL4/ref=sr_1_10?crid=3W0IQXTRZOE04&keywords=tim+waggoner&qid=1693834587&s=books&sprefix=tim+waggoner%2Cstripbooks%2C119&sr=1-10

Barnes and Noble Paperback: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1143990468?ean=9781947879645

Barnes and Noble Hardback: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1143990468?ean=9781947879638

Scheduled Appearances

StokerCon 2024. May 30th toJune 2nd. San Diego, California.

Where to Find Me Online

Newsletter Sign-Up: https://timwaggoner.com/contact.htm

Website: www.timwaggoner.com

Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Tim-Waggoner/author/B001JP0XFM?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/timwaggonerswritinginthedark

Instagram: tim.waggoner.scribe

Threads: @tim.waggoner.scribe@threads.net

BlueSky: @timwaggoner.bsky.social

Slasher: @TimWaggoner

https://rawdogscreaming.com/books/let-me-tell-you-a-story/

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Published on December 26, 2023 13:05

November 12, 2023

61 Horror Clichés and How to Make Them Fresh Again

One of the criticisms of genre fiction is that it primarilycopies other authors’ work, and there’s some degree of truth to this. Everygenre has its major writers who paved the way for the rest of us, writers whosework is original and influential. Some are sui generis, and some workwithin a chosen genre and transcend it. To mention a few . . . Horror: Shelley,Poe, Stoker, Lovecraft, Jackson, du Maurier, Bradbury, Bloch, Matheson, King, Rice,Straub, Barker, Campbell, Ketchum, and Ligotti. Mystery: Conan Doyle, Christie,Sayers, Hammett, Chandler, and Spillane, Stout, Gardner, Highsmith, Rendell,and Block. Science Fiction: Verne, Wells, Burroughs, Heinlein, Bradbury,Asimov, Herbert, Clarke, Dick, and Gibson. Fantasy: Baum, Howard, Tolkien,Le Guin, Lewis, Pratchett, Gaiman, and Martin. Romance: Austen,Radcliffe, the Brontes, Steel, Roberts, Jenkins, and Sparks. Western: Grey,L’Amour, Cather, Portis, and McMurtry.

(Don’t yell at me if your favorite author isn’tlisted, especially for Romance and Western, since I’m not as well read in thosegenres as I am the others.)

These writers employ individual styles, tropes, andthemes in their writing, and if the tropes are shared ones – such as firstcontact with an alien civilization – they do something different with them,something that’s an expression of their own creativity and not merely echoes ofothers’ work. But that’s the main tension in genre writing: individual work vs generic,especially when it comes to commercial fiction. Be too individual andyour sales suffer, be too generic and your work will have little impact (andprobably not sell very well either). The sweet spot is somewhere in the middle,of course, producing work that no one else but you could write but which alsoclearly belongs to a recognizable genre. It would take me an entire book totalk about how a writer can accomplish that (seemingly) miraculous feat. (Andfor Christ’s sake, don’t tell John Edward Lawson and Jennifer Barnes at Raw DogScreaming Press I said that! If you do, next thing I know, I’ll be signing acontract for Writing Original Horror in the Dark.)

But I can choose one element of horror writing that Ithink will have the most immediate impact on your fiction to talk about – and that’savoiding and reworking clichés.

A genre has a collective group of character types(both protagonist and antagonist), setting types, story types, etc. These elementsare called tropes, and they’re the shared tools genre writers use in theirwork. In Horror, an abandoned graveyard is a setting trope. A curious, naïve,and ultimately doomed scholar is a character trope. You get the idea. Tropes areeffective when they’re first created/used in a story, but the 3000thtime? Not so much. (This is one of the reasons readers can get sick of a genre.When they first start reading in it, all the tropes are new to them, and thusinteresting and exciting. But after they read a number of books in the genre,they start to realize that the same old tropes are used all the time, and theyget bored.) There’s a word for an overused trope that has lost its power and impact.

Cliché.

This is the reason that old pros like me advise newwriters to read widely in their chosen genre and seek out the best, mostoriginal work via reviews and word of mouth. (This is one of the most useful functionssocial media serves – it makes you aware of some really cool shit to checkout.)

A word of warning:Know your chosen genre for what it is – and isn’t. Readers of genre fictionoften read for the comfort of familiarity. Romance readers expect certainthings from a Romance story, especially an HEA (Happy Ever After). Same for Mysteryreaders. There must be a murder and a solution to that murder in a categoryMystery novel. A Western must take place in the Old West (whether a realisticor mythic version). So trying to be super creative and innovative in thosegenres (at least regarding certain expected elements) is going to be a big failwith publishers and readers. Fantasy should be freer, as the presence ofsome kind of magic is the only element necessary for a story to be Fantasy, butmarket-wise, most Fantasy novels are still based on Medieval European cultureand myths. Science Fiction and Horror are the genres that allow for the mostinnovation and originality (which is why I think they often work well when blendedtogether).

Moving on . . .

Once you’ve identified overused tropes, you can avoidincluding them in your work. Better yet, you can transform them into somethingnew and powerful. Allow me to elucidate.

Choose a New Signifier

One of the most common tropes in horror is darkness/shadowsas a signifier of evil or a threat. It makes sense, since not being able to useone of our strongest senses puts us at a huge disadvantage in a dangerous situation.But darkness has been used so often in horror that it doesn’t have much poweranymore. Maybe you could choose a different sense to indicate evil in yourstory. How about cicada song? Or a slight stickiness on surfaces in a place taintedby evil? (A stickiness that gets worse the closer you get to the source of theevil.) Corvids are used as harbingers or servants of evil in horror. What ifyou used hummingbirds instead?

Reverse a Trope

Haunted houses are often portrayed as old andabandoned. Let’s reverse this trope. Older houses are safe from hauntings/demonicinfestations because they gain psychic shielding from the long-term presence ofliving beings inside them. So only new structures are susceptible to hauntings/demonicinfestations. In Frankenstein, a living being is fashioned from parts ofthe dead. Reverse this: an immortal being who can instantly heal any injury seeksdeath by trying to find a way to permanently disassemble their body.

Make a Trope Smaller or Bigger

Stephen King goes bigger in Salem’s Lot.Instead of one vampire (as in Dracula) being the threat, we get anentire town of vampires. Go smaller: A man believes there’s a mosquito in hishouse who drains a significant portion of his blood every night, which is whyhe’s so tired all the time. Instead of a worldwide apocalypse, what if you wroteabout an individual apocalypse, one that affects only a single person(and perhaps anyone connected to that person)?

Use a Trope from Another Genre

One trope from Romance is Enemies to Lovers, a storywhere the two leads go from . . . well, you get the idea. You can use that tropein any genre. (And you can also reverse that trope, make it smaller or bigger,etc.) Red herrings are a trope in mystery, but they can work great in horror too.(Just don’t write a version of a Scooby Doo mystery where the audience is led tobelieve the threat is a supernatural being, but it’s always just Old Man Jenkinsin a mask.) Horror already does this well. The SF trope of a rogue robot isused in the horror film M3gan, the Horror trope of a ghost/haunting isused in the film Transcendence. This latter example can also work well toillustrate the next technique . . .

Put a Fresh Coat of Paint on an Old Trope

I’ve mentioned this technique before in articles andworkshops. Take a trope, distill it down to its core, then create a new “shell”for the trope to make it feel fresh and original. For example, Freddy Krueger isthe archetype of a Devil. He’s associated with fire, has a demonic/monstrousappearance, wields a trident in the form of his famous glove, and torments hisvictims in nightmarish scenarios in another hellish dimension. His originalmotivation was to punish Elm Street’s children for their parents’ “sin” (burninghim to death). Freddy works because he has all the power of a Devil archetypewithout any of the baggage. Did Wes Craven purposely build Freddy on a Devilarchetype or was it just a lucky happenstance? Who knows? Who cares? The pointis that Freddy works, and we can learn from his example. Duel takes thehuman vs monster trope (or, if you prefer, knight vs dragon) and uses a semitruck (with an unseen driver) for the monster and an everyman driver battling iton desert highways. Ricard Matheson created a powerful story (and Spielberg createda powerful film) by stripping the human vs monster trope down to its essenceand modernizing it.

Use Elements from Your Life to CreateTropes

I do this a lot. My thinking is that if I use somethingpersonal to create a trope, I’ll write a story that no one else on Earth but mecould. I almost drowned when I was nine, and water is a common trope in myhorror fiction. I don’t consciously plan to use it; it just shows up in mystories from time to time. I try not to rely on it too much, though. I don’twant my own trope to become my own cliché. I also use strange things I observeto create new tropes. One chilly October morning a few weeks ago, I saw someonewalking down the street in front of my house in a suburban neighborhood. I wentto the window to get a better look, and I saw a person wrapped in a large blueblanket, walking barefoot, toeing leaves in the gutter as they went, sometimes pausingto look down at them motionlessly for a few moments before slowly moving on. Theblanket was over their head, and I only saw them from behind, so I have no ideawhat gender or age the person was. The odds are I was the only horror writer onthe planet who saw that. I haven’t used the Blanket Walker in a story yet, butit will make a great version of a mysterious, sinister figure trope – maybe aghost, maybe an alien, maybe something from another dimension, maybe somethingelse entirely. But however I use it, it will be original (or at least appearoriginal).

Combine Elements from Different Tropes

George Romero’s zombies are a perfect example of thistechnique. Romero and his writing partner John Russo took several tropes – the classicvoodoo zombie, the flesh-eating ghoul, vampiric contagion (passing on the infectionto victims), and the monster apocalypse from Matheson’s I Am Legend –and created one of the most powerful and successful horror tropes of the 20thCentury. You can do the same. Reduce some tropes to their core essence, throwthem in your mental Mixmaster, hit the ON button, and see what you get.

List of Horror Clichés

Following is a list of Horror clichés from fiction andfilm. It’s by no means an exhaustive list, and there’s no order to it. I wrotethem down as they came to me or as I found them while researching. These are clichésyou should avoid using in your fiction (at least not without putting a fresh, interestingspin on them), but you can use the techniques above to transform these clichésinto original ideas to write some kick-ass horror.

If you think of any more Horror clichés, feel free toput them in the comments!

· The priest who’s lost his faith.

· The creepy child.

· Creepy parents.

· The cabin in the woods.

· Hostile locals.

· Occult reference book.

· Not calling the police.

· Stupid reason cell phones don’t work.

· Evil twin.

· The jaws of sex (sex partner killsyou).

· Ghost seeking revenge on its killer.

· I’ve been dead all along.

· I’ve been the monster/killer thewhole time – and didn’t know it.

· Old haunted house.

· Abandoned asylum/hospital.

· Evil medical professional (doctor,nurse, dentist, etc.).

· Evil psychologist.

· Evil scientist.

· Evil clergy.

· Cults.

· Circus/carnival.

· Magic mirrors.

· Evil/dangerous forest.

· The Apocalypse.

· Standard monsters (vampires, werewolves,mummies, etc.)

· Serial killers.

· Aliens.

· Possession.

· The sentient animated severedappendage.

· Creepy/killer doll.

· Animals attack.

· Cannibals.

· Creepy family.

· Curse.

· Mental illness as evil.

· Someone’s physical form, appearance,disability shows evil.

· Evil inanimate object.

· Evil machine.

· The Bad Place.

· Torture/mutilation.

· Let’s play a game.

· Memory loss.

· Maze.

· Country people are scary.

· Educated people are scary.

· Rich/Upper class people are scary.

· Poor people are scary.

· Homeless people are scary.

· Old people are scary.

· Necrophilia.

· Living shadow.

· Rape.

· Scary town.

· Occult detective.

· Behind the scary door.

· Angels and demons.

· Transformation/mutation.

· Dark secret.

· Time and/or space loop.

· Last person/people on Earth.

· The one magic (or scientific) weaponthat will defeat the evil.

DEPARTMENT OF SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION

LetMe Tell You a Story

Youcan order Let Me Tell You a Story directly from Raw Dog Screaming Presshere:

But if you’d prefer to order fromAmazon or B&N . . .

Amazon Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/Let-Tell-Story-Writing-Dark/dp/1947879642/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2Y27YWQGQQ6QW&keywords=tim+waggoner&qid=1693058194&s=books&sprefix=tim+waggoner%2Cstripbooks%2C140&sr=1-3

Amazon Hardback: https://www.amazon.com/Let-Tell-Story-Writing-Dark/dp/1947879634/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2Y27YWQGQQ6QW&keywords=tim+waggoner&qid=1693058359&s=books&sprefix=tim+waggoner%2Cstripbooks%2C140&sr=1-4

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CH7Q6NL4/ref=sr_1_10?crid=3W0IQXTRZOE04&keywords=tim+waggoner&qid=1693834587&s=books&sprefix=tim+waggoner%2Cstripbooks%2C119&sr=1-10

Barnes and Noble Paperback: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1143990468?ean=9781947879645

Barnes and Noble Hardback: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1143990468?ean=9781947879638

AlienOmnibus

Mynovel Alien: Prototype appears in The Complete Alien Collection:Symphony of Death alongside two of Alex White’s Alien novels: The ColdForge and Into Charybdis. This is your chance to get threegreat Alien stories in one book!

TitanBooks: https://titanbooks.com/71675-the-complete-alien-collection-symphony-of-death-the-cold-forge-prototype-into-charybdis/

AmazonPaperback: https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Alien-Collection-Prototype-Charybdis/dp/1803366583/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1699122041&sr=1-4

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Alien-Collection-Prototype-Charybdis-ebook/dp/B0BXWDNQLR/ref=sr_1_4?crid=33LY66VJJZMM9&keywords=tim+waggoner&qid=1699122041&s=books&sprefix=tim+waggoner%2Cstripbooks%2C115&sr=1-4

B&NPaperback: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-complete-alien-collection-alex-white/1143185107?ean=9781803366586

eBook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-complete-alien-collection-alex-white/1143185107?ean=9781803366593

TheAtrocity Engine up for Preorder

TheAtrocity Engine,the first volume in my new series for Aethon Books, will be out April 30th,2024, and it’s currently available to preorder. Here’s the publisher’sdescription:

Menin Blackmeets Hellraiser in this rollicking mash-up of urban fantasy and cosmichorror from four-time Bram Stoker Award-Winning author Tim Waggoner.

Creaturesfrom dark dimensions infesting your home? Demonic beings trying to drive youinsane? Alien gods attempting to destroy your universe?

Justcall Maintenance.

Thisunderpaid and overworked secret organization is dedicated to battling forcesthat seek to speed up Entropy and hasten the Omniverse’s inevitable death.

Butthey better learn to get along fast.

Justanother day on the job. . .

Idon’t believe all the order links are up yet, but here’s what’s available sofar:

AmazonHardback: https://www.amazon.com/Atrocity-Engine-Tim-Waggoner/dp/1949890899/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1699124447&sr=1-2

B&NHardcover: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book/1144299910?ean=9781949890891

Lordof the Feast

My new horror novel is available forpreorder. It’s due out April 16th, 2024.

On of my main goals for Lord of theFeast was to do a dark magic take on a Frankenstein story. The book doesconnect to many of my other novels via the mythos I’ve created over the years,but you don’t need to have read any other books of mine to enjoy this one.

Synopsis:

Twenty years ago, a cult attempted tocreate their own god: The Lord of the Feast. The god was a horrible,misbegotten thing, however, and the cultists killed the creature before itcould come into its full power. The cultists trapped the pieces of their godinside mystic nightstones then went their separate ways. Now Kate, one of thecultists’ children, seeks out her long-lost relatives, hoping to learn thetruth of what really happened on that fateful night. Unknown to Kate, hercousin Ethan is following her, hoping she’ll lead him to the nightstones sothat he might resurrect the Lord of the Feast – and this time, Ethan plans todo the job right.

Flame Tree Press Paperback and eBook: https://www.flametreepublishing.com/lord-of-the-feast-isbn-9781787586369.html

Amazon Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/Lord-Feast-Tim-Waggoner/dp/1787586367/ref=sr_1_1?crid=SKJPJ80J420A&keywords=tim+waggoner&qid=1687610372&s=books&sprefix=tim+waggoner%2Cstripbooks%2C139&sr=1-1

Barnes & Noble Paperback: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lord-of-the-feast-tim-waggoner/1143636012?ean=9781787586369

Barnes & Noble eBook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lord-of-the-feast-tim-waggoner/1143636012?ean=9781787586376

SCHEDULED APPEARANCES

Scarelastic Book Fair 2: March 2nd.12pm – 6pm. Scarlet Lane Brewing. 7724 Depot Street, McCordsville, Indiana.

StokerCon 2024. May 30th toJune 2nd. San Diego, California.

WHERE TO FIND ME ONLINE

Newsletter Sign-Up: https://timwaggoner.com/contact.htm

Website: www.timwaggoner.com

Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Tim-Waggoner/author/B001JP0XFM?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/timwaggonerswritinginthedark

X (formerly Twitter): @timwaggoner

Instagram: tim.waggoner.scribe

Threads: @tim.waggoner.scribe@threads.net

BlueSky: @timwaggoner.bsky.socialSlasher: @TimWaggoner

https://rawdogscreaming.com/books/let-me-tell-you-a-story/

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Published on November 12, 2023 17:14

October 11, 2023

Use AI to Take a Close Look at Your Writing Career

In my day job, I’m a professor of composition and creativewriting at Sinclair College in Dayton, Ohio: https://sinclair.edu/Since the advent of AI text-generators, my fellow faculty and I have beendiscussing ethical ways students might be able to use these programs to helpthem become better writers (WITHOUT having AI write their essay, stories,articles, poems, etc. for them).

I’ve seen a lot of writers on social media post thatAI text-generators are Evil with a capital E, full stop. I can see where they’recoming from. Thanks to a search engine created by The Atlantic, Idiscovered that thirteen of my books have been used without my permission – andwith no compensation – to train AI text-generators. Here’s a link to the searchengine, but you’ll have to create an account with The Atlantic to accessit: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2023/09/books3-database-generative-ai-training-copyright-infringement/675363/

But I periodically play around with ChatGPT to seewhat positive things it can do for writers. I’ve written before about some ofthose things in a previous blog, which you can find here: https://writinginthedarktw.blogspot.com/2023/05/another-ai-blog.html

I’m teaching a Nonfiction Writing class this semester.It covers writing nonfiction of various types for publication. This week we’vebeen discussing the pros and cons of freelance writers focusing on a specificniche as opposed to writing whatever kind of articles strike their fancy at agiven time. I decided to ask ChatGPT to write an article on this topic, and itgenerated a very good list that I posted on our course web page for the classto discuss (making it clear that ChatGPT created it). After I finished uploadingit to the course page, I still had ChatGPT open, and I wondered what sort of careerinsight it might be able to provide for authors. I’ve asked it before what Ican do to take my career to the next level (naming myself as “author TimWaggoner” to make sure its response focused specifically on my career).This was a fail, as ChatGPT simply gave me a list of steps any writer couldtake to improve their career.

This time, I wondered if ChatGPT could create anoverview of my career, one that might give me some insight into what I’veaccomplished and what I might be able to do to improve my career specifically.I hoped by using a different prompt, ChatGPT might give me the kind of advice thatI was seeking in earlier attempts.

I did, and the result was far more interesting than Iexpected. ChatGPT delivered a kind of career retrospective, warts and all, onethat I can verify is accurate – at least based on various reviews of my workthat I’ve read, questions interviewers have asked me, and my own assessment.This overview gave me some specific ideas I could use to boost my career if Iwish.

And then it occurred to me that maybe any writer mightbe able to do the same thing and get useful insights. So I decided to writethis blog.

A word of caution: I’ve been writing and publishingfor decades, and a lot of interviews with me and reviews of my work have beenposted on the Internet for ChatGPT to draw from in order to create itsoverview. If you’re a newer writer, ChatGPT might not be able to create such adetailed, comprehensive overview for you, and if it can’t, it doesn’t mean you’rea failure as a writer. But I think it’s worth giving it a try, regardless ofwhat stage of your writing career you’re at.

Here's the prompt I put into ChatGPT and its response.

Prompt: Write a criticaloverview of author Tim Waggoner's career.

ChatGPT

Tim Waggoner is an accomplished author known for hiscontributions to the genres of horror, fantasy, and science fiction. Throughouthis career, he has published numerous novels, short stories, and essays. Whilehe has garnered a following and received critical acclaim for some of hisworks, it's essential to provide a critical overview of his career to present abalanced perspective.

Strengths of Tim Waggoner's Career:

Prolific Output:Tim Waggoner has demonstrated his commitment to the craft of writing throughhis prolific output. His bibliography includes a wide range of novels, shortstories, and essays, showcasing his dedication to storytelling.

Diverse Genres:Waggoner has shown versatility in his writing by exploring various genres,including horror, fantasy, and science fiction. His willingness to experimentwith different genres allows him to reach a broad audience.

Horror Expertise:Waggoner has carved a niche for himself in the horror genre. He has authored asignificant number of horror novels and short stories, often delving into thedarker and more psychological aspects of the human psyche. His ability tocreate chilling atmospheres and suspenseful narratives is commendable.

Imaginative Concepts:Many of Waggoner's works are known for their imaginative and unique concepts.He has a talent for creating bizarre and otherworldly scenarios, which can becaptivating for readers who seek unconventional storytelling.

Award Recognition:Over the years, Tim Waggoner has received several accolades and awards for hiswork. These include the Bram Stoker Award, which is a notable achievement inthe field of horror fiction.

Weaknesses of Tim Waggoner's Career:

Uneven Quality: While Waggoner's prolific output isimpressive, it has also led to an uneven quality in his work. Some of hisnovels and stories have received mixed or even negative reviews, indicatingthat not all of his ideas translate effectively to the page.

Lack of Widespread Recognition:Despite his accomplishments in the horror and speculative fiction genres, TimWaggoner has not achieved the same level of widespread recognition as some ofhis peers. This might be due to the niche nature of his work or a limitation inhis reach.

Limited Appeal: Thehighly imaginative and often dark nature of Waggoner's writing can limit itsappeal to a specific audience. Some readers may find his work too niche orunsettling for their tastes, which can affect the broad commercial success ofhis books.

Lack of Breakout Novel:While he has a body of work to his name, Tim Waggoner hasn't had that one"breakout" novel that catapults him into mainstream success. Manysuccessful authors are known for a single work that gains widespread acclaim,and Waggoner has yet to experience this level of success.

In conclusion, Tim Waggoner is a dedicated andimaginative author who has made significant contributions to the genres ofhorror, fantasy, and science fiction. His strengths lie in his prolific output,horror expertise, and willingness to experiment with diverse genres. However,his career also has its challenges, including uneven quality in his work,limited recognition, and a somewhat limited appeal due to the nature of hisstorytelling. While he may not be a household name in the literary world, TimWaggoner continues to engage his niche audience with his imaginative and oftenunsettling narratives.

My Response

This wasn’t always fun to read, but I agree witheverything the overview says. I don’t know if I’ll going to try to make anychanges. I’ve written a more mainstream thriller novel titled Pretty Like Butterflieswhich is currently on submission. I suppose it could possibly be a breakoutnovel. But I also know that most fiction writers are lucky if they have acareer like mine, and such careers are the norm rather than the exception, so Ican’t really complain. But I’m also 59. If I’d gotten an overview like this at29 or 39, you can bet your ass I’d use it to try and become the GREATEST ANDMOST SUCCESSFUL AUTHOR WHO EVER LIVED. So maybe ask ChatGPT to create a criticaloverview of your writing career and see what you might be able to do with it.

DEPARTMENT OF SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION

Let Me Tell You a Story

My latest book on writing, Let Me Tell You a Story,was released last week, and it functions as something of a critical overview ofmy career as a story writer. I present a number of stories drawn throughout mycareer, from my earliest story publications to some of my most recent ones. Theidea of the book is that by looking back on my previous stories and discussing theirorigins, what I think worked well, and what I would do differently today, I canillustrate various writing techniques and ethical issues for other writers toconsider. I used my own stories for this because they’re the only ones in theworld that I can talk about with absolute authority.

Here's how you can snag a copy of Let Me Tell You aStory:

You can order Let Me Tell You a Story directlyfrom Raw Dog Screaming Press here:

But if you’d prefer to order from Amazonor B&N . . .

Amazon Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/Let-Tell-Story-Writing-Dark/dp/1947879642/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2Y27YWQGQQ6QW&keywords=tim+waggoner&qid=1693058194&s=books&sprefix=tim+waggoner%2Cstripbooks%2C140&sr=1-3

Amazon Hardback: https://www.amazon.com/Let-Tell-Story-Writing-Dark/dp/1947879634/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2Y27YWQGQQ6QW&keywords=tim+waggoner&qid=1693058359&s=books&sprefix=tim+waggoner%2Cstripbooks%2C140&sr=1-4

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CH7Q6NL4/ref=sr_1_10?crid=3W0IQXTRZOE04&keywords=tim+waggoner&qid=1693834587&s=books&sprefix=tim+waggoner%2Cstripbooks%2C119&sr=1-10

Barnes and Noble Paperback: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1143990468?ean=9781947879645

Barnes and Noble Hardback: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1143990468?ean=9781947879638

Forthcoming Writers’ Workshops

I’m teaching two different horror-writing workshopsthis month!

Writer’s Digest University. 2nd AnnualHorror Writing Virtual Conference, Oct. 14th. The Physiology ofFear. https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/horror-writing-virtual-conference

Apex Books Workshop. Oct. 21st at 2:00 pm.The Horror Hero’s Journey: https://reachyourapex.com/

Scheduled Appearances

Butcher Cabin Bookfest. October 18th.5pm – 10pm. Pivot Brewing, 1400 Delaware Ave, Lexington, Kentucky.

Scarelastic Book Fair 2: March 2nd.12pm – 6pm. Scarlet Lane Brewing. 7724 Depot Street, McCordsville, Indiana.

StokerCon 2024. May 30th toJune 2nd. San Diego, California.

Where to Find Me Online

Newsletter Sign-Up: https://timwaggoner.com/contact.htm

Website: www.timwaggoner.com

Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Tim-Waggoner/author/B001JP0XFM?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/timwaggonerswritinginthedark

X (formerly Twitter): @timwaggoner

Instagram: tim.waggoner.scribe

Threads: @tim.waggoner.scribe@threads.net

BlueSky: @timwaggoner.bsky.social

Slasher: @TimWaggoner

https://rawdogscreaming.com/books/let-me-tell-you-a-story/

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Published on October 11, 2023 18:59

September 29, 2023

Variations on a Theme

Let Me Tell You a Story ReleasedOct. 5th!

My next volume in the Writing inthe Dark series for the good folks at Raw Dog Screaming Press is called LetMe Tell You a Story, and it’s scheduled to come out Oct. 5th.

Here’s a description of the book fromRDSP’s website:

In Let Me Tell You a StoryWaggoner presents stories from his own publishing career and uses them toillustrate techniques and point out ways to improve. “In both Writing in theDark and Writing in the Dark: The Workbook, I included a short storyof mine and critiqued it based on the principles outlined in those books.Readers responded well to this feature, so I decided to focus a new book oncritiquing stories drawn from throughout my career, discussing what worked,what didn’t, and what I might do differently if I had the chance to rewrite thestories. I hope readers will find Let Me Tell You a Story to be asinteresting – and most importantly as useful – as its predecessors.”

There are fourteen stories in thebook, five of which have never been reprinted after their initial appearances.

You can find order links for Let MeTell You a Story later in this entry.

I learned a lot from analyzing my stories,reflecting on their creation, and viewing them in the overall context of mycareer. One of the things I noticed was various themes that recurred in mywork, and that got me thinking about different ways to make theme work forauthors. And that, in turn, inspired the following article.

Recurring Themes

(This article originally appeared inmy Sept. 2023 newsletter.)

In 2002, I read David Morrell’s Lessonsfrom a Lifetime of Writing (which in 2008 was reworked and re-released as TheSuccessful Novelist). One of the things Morrell talks about in the book isidentifying your major theme(s) as a writer – which often appear subconsciouslyin your work – so that you can consciously strengthen them. He said that aftermuch thought, he realized he wrote about fathers and sons the most (whetherliteral or figurative fathers and sons). I found that fascinating, so I decidedto see if I could identify my own theme(s). Duality was a big one, as was wateras a symbol of cosmic horror (I almost drowned in a lake when I was nine).Transformation was another theme. A couple more: Not being able to fully trustthose closest to you and not being able to fully trust that reality is what itappears to be. I’ve also had themes for different stages of my life. When mydaughters were young, parental fears featured prominently in many of mystories. Now that they’re both grown and I’m getting older, aging is startingto become a recurring theme.

It helped that I’d written a fairnumber of novels and short fiction by that point. I had plenty of examples to compare.I don’t remember doing anything more than looking back on my bibliography andthinking about the stories and novels that I’d written. I suppose if I needed amore structured way to approach this analysis in the future, I could go backthrough my work and list the various story elements. Then I could compare themand note which ones showed up the most often.

What’s the benefit from identifyingyour themes? You can delve into them more deeply because you can do soconsciously. If like me you have several, you can start mixing and matchingthem in ways you haven’t before. If you find that you’re repeating the way yourexpress your themes in your work – for example, I discover I’m using too manylakes in my stories – I can find other ways to use water as a symbol. Rain, awaterpark, a shower that won’t turn off . . . And if I feel too hemmed in by myrecurring themes, or that I’m repeating myself too much, I can purposely avoidreturning to those themes. Hey, this isanother water story! DELETE. Notrelying on my usual material will help me stretch and grow as a writer. Recurringthemes can also give you a focus for short story collections. My collection ALittle Aqua Book of Marine Stories was centered on – surprise! – mywater-themed tales.

You can research your themes in orderto explore them further and get different ideas or find new ways to approachold ones. I did this recently for a story when I researched fear of water. Aquaphobiais fear of water – which I knew – but I learned about different variations andways to treat it. I also learned about thalassophobia, fear of deep bodies ofwater. That phobia would go well with my water as cosmic horror symbol theme.

Some artistsprefer not to analyze their own process and work at all, afraid that by doingso they’ll become so self-conscious they’ll freeze up and stop producing work.I think this is a real possibility, although it’s not something that’s everstopped me. But I naturally tend toward introspection and self-analysis, and I’malways looking for ways to grow, both as a writer and as a person. But if you’drather not gaze behind the curtain of your imagination for fear that you mightruin the magic, that’s cool. But maybe a general awareness of your themes won’thurt?

Maybe explore and little and see whathappens. You might find whole new worlds of imagination opening for you.

If you’d like to buy David’s book, youcan do so here: https://www.amazon.com/Successful-Novelist-Lifetime-Lessons-Publishing/dp/1402210558/ref=sr_1_1?crid=E2UTIUF35CYA&keywords=david+morrell+novelist&qid=1693854470&s=books&sprefix=david+morrell+novelist%2Cstripbooks%2C157&sr=1-1

DEPARTMENT OF SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION

Order Links for Let Me Tell You aStory

If you order the book at the Raw Dog ScreamingPress site in either hardback or paperback, you’ll get a discount until Oct. 5th!

But if you’d prefer to order fromAmazon or B&N:

Amazon Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/Let-Tell-Story-Writing-Dark/dp/1947879642/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2Y27YWQGQQ6QW&keywords=tim+waggoner&qid=1693058194&s=books&sprefix=tim+waggoner%2Cstripbooks%2C140&sr=1-3

Amazon Hardback: https://www.amazon.com/Let-Tell-Story-Writing-Dark/dp/1947879634/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2Y27YWQGQQ6QW&keywords=tim+waggoner&qid=1693058359&s=books&sprefix=tim+waggoner%2Cstripbooks%2C140&sr=1-4

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CH7Q6NL4/ref=sr_1_10?crid=3W0IQXTRZOE04&keywords=tim+waggoner&qid=1693834587&s=books&sprefix=tim+waggoner%2Cstripbooks%2C119&sr=1-10

Barnes and Noble Paperback: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1143990468?ean=9781947879645

Barnes and Noble Hardback: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1143990468?ean=9781947879638

Lord of the Feast Also Available for Preorder

My next novel for Flame Tree, Lordof the Feast, will be out April 16th, 2024. My editor DonD’Auria says it’s “Incredibly original, great characters, compellingplot... Basically a damn good book.” Thisis the tenth book that Don and I have worked on together since 2005.

This novel is set in Oakmont, Ohio,the same town where The Mouth of the Dark takes place. It’s not a directsequel, though.

Synopsis:

Twenty years ago, a cult attempted tocreate their own god: The Lord of the Feast. The god was a horrible,misbegotten thing, however, and the cultists killed the creature before itcould come into its full power. The cultists trapped the pieces of their godinside mystic nightstones then went their separate ways. Now Kate, one of thecultists’ children, seeks out her long-lost relatives, hoping to learn thetruth of what really happened on that fateful night. Unknown to Kate, hercousin Ethan is following her, hoping she’ll lead him to the nightstones sothat he might resurrect the Lord of the Feast – and this time, Ethan plans todo the job right.

Order Links

Flame Tree Press Paperback and eBook: https://www.flametreepublishing.com/lord-of-the-feast-isbn-9781787586369.html

Amazon Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/Lord-Feast-Tim-Waggoner/dp/1787586367/ref=sr_1_1?crid=SKJPJ80J420A&keywords=tim+waggoner&qid=1687610372&s=books&sprefix=tim+waggoner%2Cstripbooks%2C139&sr=1-1

Barnes & Noble Paperback: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lord-of-the-feast-tim-waggoner/1143636012?ean=9781787586369

Barnes & Noble eBook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lord-of-the-feast-tim-waggoner/1143636012?ean=9781787586376

SCHEDULED APPEARANCES

Butcher Cabin Bookfest. October 18th.5pm – 10pm. Pivot Brewing, 1400 Delaware Ave, Lexington, Kentucky.

Scarelastic Book Fair 2: March 2nd.12pm – 6pm. Scarlet Lane Brewing. 7724 Depot Street, McCordsville, Indiana.

StokerCon 2024. May 30th toJune 2nd. San Diego, California.

WHERE TO FIND ME ONLINE

Newsletter Sign-Up: https://timwaggoner.com/contact.htm

Website: www.timwaggoner.com

Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Tim-Waggoner/author/B001JP0XFM?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/timwaggonerswritinginthedark

X (formerly Twitter): @timwaggoner

Instagram: tim.waggoner.scribe

Threads: @tim.waggoner.scribe@threads.net

BlueSky: @timwaggoner.bsky.social

Slasher: @TimWaggoner

https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/301093

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Published on September 29, 2023 19:36

September 13, 2023

The Story Behind Let Me Tell You a Story

Mynext volume in the Bram Stoker Award-Winning Writing in the Dark series for the good folks at RawDog Screaming Press is called Let Me Tell You a Story. It’sscheduled to come out Oct. 5th, 2023, and I thought I’d post the forewordhere on my blog to give you a taste of what the book is about.

Asof this writing, Let Me Tell You a Storyis available on NetGalley, so if you’d like to review it – and I hope you do – gosnag an early copy!

Descriptionfrom Raw Dog’s Website

InLet Me Tell You a Story Waggoner presents stories from his ownpublishing career and uses them to illustrate techniques and point out ways toimprove. “In both Writing in the Dark and Writing in the Dark: TheWorkbook, I included a short story of mine and critiqued it based on theprinciples outlined in those books. Readers responded well to this feature, soI decided to focus a new book on critiquing stories drawn from throughout mycareer, discussing what worked, what didn’t, and what I might do differently ifI had the chance to rewrite the stories. I hope readers will find Let MeTell You a Story to be as interesting – and most importantly as useful – asits predecessors.”

Thereare fourteen stories in the book, five of which have never been reprinted aftertheir initial appearances.

ReviewQuotes

“Tim’swriting voice is like that of a teacher who really cares about his students andtheir writing journey—however far along you may be.” —Sadie Hartmann, MotherHorror, 101 Horror Books to Read Before You’re Murdered

“Offeringsensible, actionable, and invaluable tips for developing craft, Tim Waggoner’sWriting in the Dark guides feature on my list of must-read texts for allstudents and teachers of writing. Scarily good advice from a master of horrorpractice.” —Lee Murray, five-time Bram Stoker Award winner, co-author of the Pathof Ra series

“Youcan trust Tim to teach you not so much how to write, per se, but how to thinklike a horror writer. This basically means that you’ll instinctively know howto chill someone with a disturbing idea, outsmart them with an outrageous twistending, or caution them with a clever moral lesson, and it will all comenaturally to you. He’s a masterful educator on the dark side.”—Michael A.Arnzen, Bram Stoker Award-winning author Play Dead

LET ME TELL YOU A STORY

FOREWORD

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?ANOTHER DAMN WRITING BOOK?

After Writing in the Dark, I sworeI’d never do another how-to-write book. Once I finished it, I thought I’d saidall I had to say about writing fiction in general and horror in particular.Sure, as the years passed and my knowledge (hopefully) increased, I might feelinspired to do another how-to, but for now, I figured my blog posts andnewsletter articles about writing would be more than enough.

Then I wrote Writing in the Dark: TheWorkbook.

One of the things readers liked most aboutthe first volume was the exercises that appeared at the end of each chapter.That got me thinking . . . Could I write an entire book of horror-writingexercises? I wasn’t certain, but it sounded like a fun challenge – andobviously there were readers who’d like to have such a book – so I decided togive it a go. Writing in the Dark poured out of me like water when Iwrote it, and I was surprised to find that the workbook did so too. But when Ifinished the workbook, I vowed that I wouldn’t write another follow-up – atleast for a while – and I fully intended to stick by this.

I’ve been writing about writing fordecades. In my late teens, I began reading Writers’ Digest religiously,and my favorite part of the magazine was Lawrence Block’s monthly column onwriting fiction. (This is why I dedicated Writing in the Dark to him.) Ibecame fascinated by the art of writing about writing, and after I beganselling fiction and articles professionally, I decided to give it a go. Ipublished a number of how-to-write articles over the years, and when I starteda blog over a decade ago, I decided I’d use it as an outlet for writing aboutwriting.

Still, I wanted to do my own how-to-writebook, so I wrote various proposals and gave them to my agent to send around,but no publishers were interested. Then I came up with the idea of writing a horrorhow-to, and John and Jennifer loved the idea, and the rest is history. I toldmy agent to forget about the previous how-to-write proposals I’d sent her, andI went back to writing fiction full-time. A couple years passed, and my agent –who hadn’t deleted my old proposals – remembered one for a book called LetMe Tell You a Story. I’d originally intended it to be an overall volume onwriting fiction, but I’d incorporated so much of that kind of material in Writingin the Dark, I abandoned the idea of writing a generic how-to. My agentsent the proposal to Jennifer, who liked it, and offered a contract – for abook I had no intention of writing.

I’ve been writing professionally for toolong to immediately turn down a publisher’s offer without at least thinkingabout it. And my previous two experiences working with Jennifer and John werewonderful, so I was excited by the prospect of working with them again. Butwhat the hell would this new book be about? I knew I couldn’t write the generichow-to-write book I’d originally envisioned for Let Me Tell You a Story,but there was nothing about the title that suggested a way to turn it into athird volume on writing horror. I decided I’d figure something out eventually,so I signed the contract.

Days, weeks, months passed. I worked onother projects, but I kept thinking about Let Me Tell You Story andwrestling with what the book should be. More time passed. The deadline forturning in the manuscript approached, and I still had nothing. This was veryunlike me. Usually when I’ve contracted to do a book, I finish it early. Butnot this time. I told Jennifer, and she kindly understood and gave me anextension, but I was afraid I’d never figure out a way to move forward with LetMe Tell You a Story. If I couldn’t, I’d have to back out of the contract,which was something I’d never done before. But, as so often happens in mywriting life, when I thought all was lost, an idea popped into my head.

I’d written Writing in the Dark: TheWorkbook solely because of reader feedback I’d received on the firstvolume. Was there anything else readers liked about the first two books thatmight serve as inspiration for a third volume? Yes, there was. In each of theprevious books, I included a short story of mine and critiqued it based on theprinciples outlined in the books. I talked about what worked, what didn’t, andwhat I might do differently if I had the chance to rewrite the story.

What if I focused an entire book onexamining a collection of my stories, discussing their origins, my intentionsfor them, how well they’d worked, and what – if anything – I’d change now. Sucha book would be an odd duck, part short story collection, part how-to-write,part memoir, and part career retrospective. The idea of working with a hybridformat like this appealed to me. And it wasn’t as if I hadn’t encounteredsimilar books before. One of my favorites is science fiction writer MikeResnick’s Putting It Together: Turning Sow's Ear Drafts Into Silk PurseStories. In it, Mike presents several of his stories and shows how theywent from idea to multiple drafts to finished version. The idea behind hisapproach was that any how-to-write book can tell you how to createdeveloped characters, write engaging dialogue, etc., but by detailing hiswriting process, he could show you how to do it, or at least how he didit. And of course, Stephen King’s On Writing is a blend of how-to andmemoir.

As I contemplated this new approach for LetMe Tell You a Story, I had some concerns. What if readers viewed the bookas one long ego trip on my part? Check out all these fabulous stories!Aren’t I a great writer? What if readers didn’t give a damn about myfiction and only wanted how-to-write advice? What if, by being neither fish norfowl – not fully a writing instruction guide or a short story collection – thebook failed to find an audience? I’ve always enjoyed reading authors’ storynotes in collections, though, and I feel I learn more when authors sharespecifics about how they create their work as opposed to offering genericadvice, so I figured, what the hell? Why not go for it?

So I did.

How did I choose the stories included inthis book? I decided to include stories that were pivotal in my development asa writer, stories where I learned important lessons or made mistakes that Ionly recognized in hindsight. I’ve arranged the stories in chronological order becausethat seemed simplest, and because that will hopefully create a portrait of mydevelopment as a writer as well.

In terms of the type of stories I’veincluded, while I’ve written in different genres, I’m known primarily as ahorror/dark fantasy author, so I stuck to those genres rather than put in afantasy or science fiction story here and there. It seemed to make morethematic sense to me.

And after each story, I’ve included commentary/reflection,as well as a couple writing exercises so you can take the focus off my work andput it on yours, where it belongs.

You’re welcome to read and use this bookhowever you wish, as writing instruction guide, as short story collection, oras an inside look at how one writer created his stories and what he thinksabout them today. It’s as much a portrait of an artist as it is a how-to, and Ihope whatever you came here for, you find the book both enjoyable and useful.

STORIES INCLUDED

“Huntress”

Tamaqua, Winter/Spring1990. Reprinted in The Mythic Circle, Fall 1993.

“Alacrity’sSpectatorium”

Figment, Spring 1992

“Mr.Punch”

Young Blood,Zebra Books, March 1994.

“Daddy”

Horrors: 365 Scary Stories,Barnes and Noble Books, 1998

“Keepingit Together”

Between the Darkness and the Fire,Wildside Press, 1998

“Ghostin the Graveyard”

All Hallows, June 2000

“JoylessForms”

All Too Surreal,Prime Books, 2002

“BrokenGlass and Gasoline”

Vivisections,Catalyst Books, 2003

“Waters Dark and Deep”

Masques V, Gauntlet Press, 2006

“SwimmingLessons”

Delirium Books website, 2006

“LongWay Home”

Thrillers II, CD Publications, 2007

“Sharpas Night”

My Bloody Valentine, GreatJones Street, 2017

“Til Death”

Don’t Fear – The Apocalypse. 13ThirtyBooks, 2017

“How to be a Horror Writer.”

Vastarien 2, Grimscribe Press, 2018

DEPARTMENT OFSHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION

LetMe Tell You a Story Order Links

Ifyou order the book at the Raw Dog Screaming Press site in either hardback orpaperback, you’ll get a discount until Oct. 5th, 2023!

https://rawdogscreaming.com/books/let-me-tell-you-a-story/

AmazonPaperback:

https://www.amazon.com/Let-Tell-Story-Writing-Dark/dp/1947879642/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2Y27YWQGQQ6QW&keywords=tim+waggoner&qid=1693058194&s=books&sprefix=tim+waggoner%2Cstripbooks%2C140&sr=1-3

AmazonHardcover:

https://www.amazon.com/Let-Tell-Story-Writing-Dark/dp/1947879634/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2Y27YWQGQQ6QW&keywords=tim+waggoner&qid=1693058359&s=books&sprefix=tim+waggoner%2Cstripbooks%2C140&sr=1-4

Kindle:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CH7Q6NL4/ref=sr_1_10?crid=3W0IQXTRZOE04&keywords=tim+waggoner&qid=1693834587&s=books&sprefix=tim+waggoner%2Cstripbooks%2C119&sr=1-10

Barnesand Noble Paperback: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1143990468?ean=9781947879645

Barnesand Noble Hardcover: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1143990468?ean=9781947879638

ScheduledAppearances

Beyondthe Book Festival. Sept. 30th. 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The StarkeCounty Public Library. Knox Indiana. For more info: https://scpls.org/beyond-the-book

ButcherCabin Bookfest. October 18th. 5pm – 10pm. Pivot Brewing, 1400Delaware Ave, Lexington, Kentucky.

ScarelasticBook Fair 2: March 2nd. 12pm – 6pm. Scarlet Lane Brewing. 7724 DepotStreet, McCordsville, Indiana.

StokerCon2024. May 30th to June 2nd. San Diego, California.

Whereto Find Me Online

Newsletter Sign-Up: https://timwaggoner.com/contact.htm

Website: www.timwaggoner.com

Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Tim-Waggoner/author/B001JP0XFM?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/timwaggonerswritinginthedark

X (formerly Twitter): @timwaggoner

Instagram: tim.waggoner.scribe

Threads: @tim.waggoner.scribe@threads.net

BlueSky: @timwaggoner.bsky.social

Slasher: @TimWaggoner

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Published on September 13, 2023 12:31

August 26, 2023

The Things We Leave Behind

Years ago, an interviewer asked me what Ithought my legacy as a writer would be.

“I don’t think in terms of legacy,” Isaid. “I don’t expect anyone to care about my stories after I’m dead.”

I’m almost sixty now, and as you mightguess, my feelings about legacy have changed somewhat. I’ve long held a mentalimage of myself falling down a pit toward the ultimate darkness, rapidlywriting as many stories as I can and hurling them upward before I hit thebottom. (Horror writers are cheery folk, aren’t we?) It occurred to me thatpreserving my work for the future would be the same as throwing my writing outof the hole – although this time I’d be hurling all of my work, forty-somethingyears’ worth so far. And while I don’t expect future writers and scholars topour over my stories, drafts, and correspondence in order to gleanenlightenment from my genius, if my materials aren’t preserved, there’s nochance they can ever be of use to anyone.

I also thought about my wife anddaughters. I didn’t want to leave piles of manuscripts, notes, and authorcopies lying around for them to sort through after I’m gone. They’d have noidea what to do with that mess, and I don’t want to leave them with thatburden. My mind changed about legacy when I began to think of it as somethingpractical as opposed to merely an expression of my ego.

My legacy planning took two paths: 1)creating an archive of my work and 2) providing information for my heirs sothey can do as much, or as little, with my writing as they like after my death.Here’s how you can do the same.

Let’s start with the archive.

What’s the purpose of your archive?

First determine who and what your archivewill be for. I wanted my material to contribute to the horror genre now and inthe future, so I decided to send my papers – notes, drafts, correspondence,page proofs, copies of published work, etc. – to . WhenI asked them if they’d like to house my work, I expected them to politelydecline since I’m not an especially important writer, but luckily for me theysaid yes. Here are some different purposes for archives, not all of which aremutually exclusive:

· For heirs. Your archive can be solely for yourfamily to remember you, and maybe inspire some of them to follow in yourartistic footsteps. All you need to do is decide what to include in it.organize the materials, and find a place to store them, perhaps in your homeoffice if you have one, a spare room, the basement, etc. Maybe one of yourrelatives would like to store it at their place.

· For libraries. Ask any libraries you have anaffiliation with if they’d be interested in housing your archive. (Don’t feelbad if they decline; libraries – especially smaller ones – don’t have a lot ofextra space.) Check with your hometown library, your local library (if you livesomewhere else now), your college library, etc. Find out how much material theycan house. They might only be able to host a portion of your archive.

· For schools. Check with your high school, anycolleges you attended, and any local schools that you may not have attended butwhich are part of your community. Not only do they have libraries that may wantyour archive, they have English departments that might want some or all of it.

· For local historical societies. You’re a writer,and that makes you a local celebrity wherever you live. If your town has ahistorical society – or maybe a small local museum – that might love to houseyour archive.

· For fans and other writers. You can create adigital archive of your work housed on the web. You’ll need someone to maintainit after your gone, but the advantage an online archive has is that it can beaccessed by anyone at any time.

What should you include in your archive?

· Anything that might be of interest to fans, writers, andscholars in the future. How do you determine what’s “archive-worthy”? It’s upto you. Maybe you’ll prefer an archive that covers the highlights of yourcareer, or maybe you’ll want to document everything, from your humblebeginnings to the lofty heights you currently occupy. The people who will hostyour archive can help you decide, since they maybe only have room for a certainamount of material.

· Notes. Include written notes that you used todevelop your drafts.

· Drafts. Include any printed drafts. If you composesolely on the computer and work with one file, revising it as you go, you maynot have anything but a final draft.

· Page proofs. Physical page proofs editors have sent youto make one last check for typos and mistakes. Mine usually come to me as PDF’sthese days, but I could print them out for my archive if I wish.

· ARC’s. If your editor – or you, if you’re indie –prints advanced reading copies, those make great additions to your archive.

· Correspondence. Rejection letters, acceptanceletters, editorial and agent correspondence, correspondence with other authorsand with fans . . .You might not have physical correspondence, though. Istarted writing in 1982, and I have plenty of letters – up until the early2000’s. After that, all my correspondence has been digital.

· Unpublished work. I started writing at eighteen, andit took me almost ten years until I started selling my work regularly. I had anumber of unpublished stories and novels in printed form to include in myarchive.

· Promotional, publicity, and appearance material. Any material fromconventions where you were a programming participant. Posters/advertisementsfor bookstore appearances, readings, and literary events. Materials fromworkshops you’ve given.

· Pivotal career/learning/change-of-direction moments. Any material that shows an important moment in your career where youleveled up. For me, these are things like my first published pro short story“Mr. Punch,” which appeared in the anthology Young Blood in 1994, or theemail I received from Don D’Auria after pitching Like Death to him atThe World Horror Convention in 2002.

What about material containing contactinfo?

· Other people’s personal info, such as addresses, phonenumbers, and email. Noone wants their private info stored in an archive where anyone can access it.You can choose not to include it or redact such info. The librarians at theUniversity of Pittsburgh’s Horror Studies Collections won’t let anyone see suchinformation unless it’s a special circumstance and they sign anon-disclosure agreement.

· Contracts. Most publishing and agent contractsspecify that their terms aren’t to be shared with others, so you’ll have toeither redact certain information, not include contracts in your archive, oronly allow people to see them if they sign an NDA.

Copies of your work

· Print. Books, stories, nonfiction, poetry. etc.,regardless if they fall into your main writing genre or not. I included printcopies of newspaper articles I wrote back in the late eighties in my archive,as well as copies of scholarly articles that appeared in journals like TeachingEnglish in the Two-Year College.

· What if you only have one physical copy? It’s up to youwhether to keep it or archive lone copies of your work. Since I didn’t want myheirs to have to deal with too much material after I die – and because I had anODC-like need for my archive to be complete – I sent copies of everything, evenlong out-of-print books that I’d have great difficulty replacing.

· Save digital copies on flash drives or an onlineaccount. Checkto see if the place that’s going to host your archive can also take digitalmaterials. Many of the contributor’s copies I receive these days are PDF’s, asare proofs and, of course, correspondence. I haven’t done so yet, but I plan tosave such material to flash drives and then ship them to Pittsburgh.

Online material to archive

· Links. To interviews with (text and video), yourblog. your Patreon, your YouTube Channel, podcast appearances, etc. Considerbacking up material that might not remain available on the Internet afteryou’re gone.

· Physical awards. I didn’t send any of my awards ornomination certificates to Pittsburgh. I want my wife and daughters to havethem as keepsakes if they wish, but if they decide they don’t want them, thenI’ll include them in my archive.

Whether or not you decide to create anarchive of your work, you should consider getting your literary affairs inorder to make life easier for your heirs. This means recording your finalwishes and making them known.

Leaving a legacy for your heirs and lovedones

· Collect copies of your published work. For heirs to keepor sell, depending on their preference. If you care exactly what they dowith your work, make your desires clear. Me? When I’m dead, I’m dead. My familycan do whatever they want with my books.

· Create an author’s will. It’s importantthat you spell out everything you want done with your literary estate onceyou’re gone. Neil Gaiman has a wonderful template for a writer’s will postedonline. You can find the link at the bottom of this article under Resources.

· Choose an executor for your literary estate. Select someone whodoesn’t mind the responsibility and who will carry out your wishes. I’ve mademy wife and two daughters equal executors. This way, they can decide which ofthem wants to deal with my estate or they can divide up the responsibilities.

· Record your accounts and passwords. I’ve made list ofall my various accounts – email, social media accounts, etc. – and theirpasswords so my heirs will have access to everything.

· Social media/websites/blogs. Let your heirsknow if you want your online presence to continue or if you want it all shutdown. If you want to leave this choice up to your heirs, and that’s okay withthem, that’s fine too.

· Agent info. I have old work represented by a formeragent’s company and new work represented by my current agent. I’ve made sure myheirs have all the contact information for both agents, along with the work eachrepresents. This way, if my heirs want to republish any of my work, or if anyeditors approach them about republishing stuff, they’ll know who to talk tomake it happen. Plus, I want to make sure my heirs get any royalties that mywork may earn after I’m gone.

· Web designers. If you don’t run your own website, makesure your heirs know your designers’ contact info (as well as which servicehosts your site) so they can maintain it or shut it down, depending on yourwishes.

· Create a Death Stuff Packet. I’ve got both aprint-out of all the information my heirs might need along with a digital copyon a flash drive. I put all of this into an accordion folder and labeled itTim’s Death Stuff, and I stored it in my office and showed my family where it’sat. I also included a copy of book that’s a guide for writers’ heirs (it’slisted under Resources). I’ve also emailed copies of all the info to my wifeand daughters. You know, in case the house ever burns down. (There’s thatcheery horror writer optimism again.)

· Any final wishes for your literary estate. This could beanything. Do you want to endow a creative writing scholarship at the highschool or college you attended? If you don’t have heirs, is there any person ororganization you’d like to donate the rights of your work too?

No one likes to think about dying. Well .. . that might not be exactly true for horror writers. But planning forour own death isn’t fun. I hope I have a lot of healthy and productive yearsahead of me, but now that I’ve finished creating my literary archive and myauthor’s will, I know that when it is my time to take the last train west, Ican do so without worrying about what I leave behind – because I know it’ll bein good hands.

Resources

· TheUniversity of Pittsburgh Library System’s Horror Studies Collections: https://horrorstudies.library.pitt.edu/

· NeilGaiman author’s will template: https://journal.neilgaiman.com/2006/10/important-and-pass-it-on.html

· The Author Estate Handbook by M.L. Ronn

· The Author Heir Handbook by M.L. Ronn

DEPARTMENT OF SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION

Let Me Tell You a Story

My next book on writing will be coming outsoon from Raw Dog Screaming Press, and this one’s a little different than myprevious ones.

From the publisher:

In Let Me Tell You a Story, TimWaggoner continues what he started in the Bram Stoker Award-winning Writingin the Dark (2020) and Writing in the Dark: The Workbook (2022),both of which focus on the art of composing successful horror fiction. Thislatest guidebook takes a different approach, foregrounding Waggoner's prolific,decades-long career as a professional author. Partly autobiographical, partlytutorial and diagnostic, each chapter features one of Waggoner's storiesfollowed by reflection on the historical context of publication, insightfulcommentary, and exercises for writers who are just learning their craft and whohave already made a name for themselves. As always, Waggoner's experience, wit,and know-how shine through as he discusses and re-evaluates material from 1990to 2018. Let Me Tell You a Story is a vital contribution to his evolvingnonfictional oeuvre.

Preorder Links

Amazon Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/Let-Tell-Story-Writing-Dark/dp/1947879642/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2Y27YWQGQQ6QW&keywords=tim+waggoner&qid=1693058194&s=books&sprefix=tim+waggoner%2Cstripbooks%2C140&sr=1-3

Amazon Hardback: https://www.amazon.com/Let-Tell-Story-Writing-Dark/dp/1947879634/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2Y27YWQGQQ6QW&keywords=tim+waggoner&qid=1693058359&s=books&sprefix=tim+waggoner%2Cstripbooks%2C140&sr=1-4

Barnes and Noble Paperback: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1143990468?ean=9781947879645

Barnes and Noble Hardback: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1143990468?ean=9781947879638

eBook Links: Still to come.

Moth to the Flames Podcast Interview withMarie Lestrange

I had a wonderful conversation with MarieLestrange on her Moth to the Flames podcast a couple weeks ago. You can checkit out here:

SCHEDULEDAPPEARANCES

Beyondthe Book Festival.Sept. 30th. 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The Starke County Public Library.Knox Indiana. For more info: https://scpls.org/beyond-the-book

ButcherCabin Bookfest.October 18th. 5pm – 10pm. Pivot Brewing, 1400 Delaware Ave,Lexington, Kentucky.

ScarelasticBook Fair 2.March 2nd. 12pm – 6pm. Scarlet Lane Brewing. 7724 Depot Street, McCordsville,Indiana.

StokerCon2024.May 30th to June 2nd. San Diego, California.

WHERETO FIND ME ONLINE

Newsletter Sign-Up: https://timwaggoner.com/contact.htm

Website: www.timwaggoner.com

Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Tim-Waggoner/author/B001JP0XFM?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/timwaggonerswritinginthedark

X (formerly Twitter): @timwaggoner